


A long tracking of the Idiotic BulgeHumping Bloodpusher

by Hyrulehalfbreed



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternia, Capture, Dubious Consent, Empress Feferi, F/F, Karkat can't pick a side, Language Barrier, Lost Memories, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Post Game AU, Threesome - M/M/M, Traitor, War, Xeno, advanced humans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-16 10:27:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyrulehalfbreed/pseuds/Hyrulehalfbreed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aliens have invaded Alternia months ago and though it is obvious to the trolls that they are losing the war, the natives are not about to just roll over. With the new Empress Feferi being shelter deep in the ocean and sending out commands from there. Chaos and troll-style military justice is quick to be dealt out by the only mutant Threshecutioner leader Karkat Vantas and other generals. When Karkat finds himself trapped inside a cave with one of the enemy, they both realize something hauntingly familiar about the other. Why did this have to happen during the heat cycle of trolls... Why did this blue idiot seem to be just as confused and fascinated about him? Oh no, they are making this happen, "let's stop a war and drop everything we hold dear, even though we totally have every reason to keep killing each other', trolls more so since you invaded and are killing us!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Retreat

**Author's Note:**

> The beta kids in this work are all around 22, the trolls are from 10 to 12 solar sweeps.  
> Empress Feferi, Admiral Eridan, Vice Admiral Vriska, Grand Highblood Gamzee, Threshecutioner Karkat, and more.
> 
> Alternian technology is the same level as it was in the beta troll session. Human technology however has grown far superior and powerful. 
> 
> This story was written originally as a roleplay with a good friend of mine and posted with her permission. This well explain the style of this work. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

FUCK!   
It was the only thought that went through the mutant blooded troll’s mind as he sunk to his knees, missing the blast of energy from the weird weapons that the invaders were known for using by mere centimeters. Blood pusher hammering in his throat, the ten-sweep-old troll straightened his spine back up to glare at the blue armored creature before him. These invaders, these ALIENS, had acted only eight perigees ago and since that moment death and destruction had rained down on Alternia to the likes of which had only happened centuries ago. They had no idea where they came from, what they wanted, and couldn't communicate in any known language... Just silent figures that talked with their weapons. The aliens cast the first shots from their huge ships, and that was a pretty fucking good declaration of war if you asked Karkat Vantas and the rest of the troll race.  
Feferi Peixes, the Empress, had been forced into hiding deep in the ocean and commanding from there. It was not looking good for them. For sweeps upon sweeps, Alternia had no use for their old war ships, instead using them for carriers of supplies from old conquests. But the trolls hadn't tried to take over any new territory, what had even triggered this attack was a mystery. Those carriers were their one hope for a space battle, but it would take perigees before those monstrous machines were finished being converted back to their original functions and came to the aid of their home planet.  
All they could do in the meantime was try to survive, and, as a commander of a small group of thresecutioners, Karkat was doing just that as the rest of the battle raged on. He had noticed that Blue here, seemed to be motioning commands with his free hand, marking him as a leader, or a low ranking officer at least. Meaning he needed to be taken down like one of Eridan’s pickup lines. Too bad sickles against guns really were not doing the trolls any favors as Karkat darted forward, but they did have strength and speed on their side. He drove his shoulder into the alien’s chest and the next moment they were both rolling on the ground.

With a quiet "Oof!" John found himself in the dirt. One of the creatures that inhabited this planet had tackled him! He yelped, doing his best to fight off the attacker, armored fingers clenched over the hard flesh of the creature's wrist. It was unbelievably strong, and the sickles were coming frighteningly close to his face. "Get off me!" he yelled, despite knowing his words would be silenced by the helmet. John knew he was larger than the grey skinned attacker, but it would seem it was a whole lot denser. Wriggling desperately, John managed to flip their positions. His hands were on the troll's throat, holding the creature firmly in place, but not quite strangling it. Cursing, John stared down into the yellow-and-red eyes, and was surprised to find a spark of human-like intelligence. He'd known they were smart, of course, how else could these natives planned so many ambushes on them, but he wasn't expecting such a human expression. Running his tongue over his teeth (a nervous habit he'd had for a long time) John removed his hands from the troll's throat. Around him, the battle raged on, bright splashes of color signifying where trolls had fallen, and the spots of mud-brown and bright red displaying where humans had been slain.   
Disarm it, okay he could do that. He grabbed for the weapons held firmly in the troll's hands, his own fingers shaking slightly. 

A small gagging gasp was forced from Karkat's lips as he felt the hard metal-covered fingers wrapping around his neck. He expected that Blue was going to kill him, end his miserable stain of a life right there, and Karkat was more than willing to face him head on if that was his fate. Smoldering eyes glaring straight back at the 'face' of the alien. None of the trolls knew what these things really looked like under the helmets they wore. They couldn't even collect the aliens they killed as their kin would stubbornly retrieve their dead, even if it meant losing more in the process. Seemed they were a hell of a lot more loyal than trolls were.   
But from the briefest moment under the glow of the moons, he could have sworn he saw troll-like lips, but dull useless teeth behind them. Karkat, focus, you are the leader of a good thirty trolls that are in the process of being slaughtered, and the alien on top of you seems too stupid to end your life. Instead, longer fingers tried to pry the sickles he held in a death grip.  
It was hesitating. For what reason, Karkat was not sure. But he was going to take it. The creature didn't seem to notice the troll slowly sliding a leg from under him and one quick motion he snapped his knee up directly into the thing's gut. Pain flared up his leg and he was sure he was bleeding, but it didn't matter. Blue was stunned and it allowed Karkat to throw him off, letting out a skreeing call that made the remaining trolls scatter in random directions in retreat.  
Karkat did the same as he bolted into the foliage, much of it thinned by recent battles. The sound of scrambling footsteps behind him made the troll aware that Blue was chasing him. Fucker didn't give up. It was more stubborn than Crabdad was when he refused to take a bath when he was a wriggler, memories you can go back into that horrid pit that is my mind, fuck you very much. He didn't need to remember something that was long dead right now.

John wasn't totally certain why he was so interested in this one random creature. There were millions more just like it all across this dark planet. They were literally everywhere, hiding in the darkness, bleeding funny colors and killing humans. So why was he suddenly so captivated by one puny grey troll? John cursed himself, but kept up the chase. His armor made it harder to move, and impossible to be stealthy. The bushes and branches caught on him, slowing him down even more. He found himself idly wondering how trolls managed to move so quickly. He stumbled over a protruding root, nearly landing on his face in the process. That was when he noticed it: the trail of blood.  
It wasn't a lot, just a few drops on the ground or clinging to the rough bark of an enormous tree. The bright red shone like a beacon, and he recalled the red of the troll's eyes.   
Swallowing hard around the nervous lump in his throat, John began tracking the path it would seem that his prey had taken. Briefly, he considered radioing in to headquarters to let them know he was after what he would guess to be some sort of enemy platoon leader. He disregarded the idea, figuring he would be back before anyone had even come out to collect the bodies of the dead.   
He had noticed that trolls didn't seem to bother with collecting their own fallen, nor did they seem concerned for the lives of one another on a whole. John figured he would be fine for a little while, at least. All the same, he kept a careful grip on his gun.

The thumps of the alien's footsteps and the small scratches of branches on the odd armor was practically ringing inside of Karkat's auricular sponge clots as he continued to run. But he was slowing down. He had to face that fact as his knee ached from where it collided with the alien and he knew looking at the damage would only screw up his thinkpan. No, Karkat kept his eyes forward as he was gradually forced into a limp. Briefly he wondered about the fate of the trolls of his platoon before shrugging it off. They would all re-group later if they survived, and under the empress's orders they should search for Karkat, but who knew if he could actually count on that “blessing”.  
The air was getting warmer, not only from the rising sun, but from the changing seasons. The trolls couldn't afford to have many more of these battles. Within the next few days, many of them would be either helpless or filled with uncontrollable rage. For the next few weeks the strategy would be hide and set traps... it's all they probably could do to keep themselves safe during this time.  
Not like Karkat could look forward to it, he was about to roast in the sun if he didn't find shelter soon. Then he spotted it, a small little over-hang of rock in a clearing. To another creature it would look like the rock was connected completely to the ground, but Karkat could smell the difference. An old brooding cavern, dark, with water, maybe even food and old supplies. He glanced around quickly, grimacing as he noticed the blood trail before trying to hold a hand over the wound as he crawled his way under the ledge and into the large cavern below, landing heavily before limping down the tunnel to the main cavern, hearing the small trickle of running water, thank gog.

John fought his way through the brush, finally finding himself in a clearer area. He frowned when he found the end of the blood trail, and no troll in sight. He crouched, examining the ground closely, head cocked to the side as he listened for any sign of the troll. The sun was rising slowly, casting too-bright light across the land. Even with his helmet and its tinted glass, he found that the light irritated his eyes. He squinted, wanting nothing more than to reach beneath the protective gear and rub at his eyes. Sweat trickled down his back, and the light reflecting from his armor also served to be absorbed into the metallic material. He groaned at the heat, moving to retreat back to the trees. He hoped to find relief in the shadows of the trees. He stood at the cusp between the clearing and the trees, hiding within the shadows. From this position, he could hear, just barely, a noise coming from a gathering of rocks to his right. Licking his lips and taking a deep breath, he followed the sound.   
Poking around at an opening that was almost indistinguishable from the rest of the rocks, he felt a cool breeze from within teasing at the sliver of skin between his collar and helmet that was exposed. The sun continued to beat down, and with a sigh, he decided that hiding inside a dark cave was much better than being burnt alive outside. He radioed in, letting his superiors know his situation and his general estimation of his position. It didn't occur to him until too late that he might not have been the only genius to have the idea to hide in a cave.


	2. Traitorous Body, Mind Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning dubious consent,  
> NOTE: My head cannon is that trolls in heat produce pheromones that can be very effective on humans.

The cool darkness settled over him like a cool cuddlesquare, it was strange to see just how blessed he was with what this brooding cavern spat out of its innards. Wads of old bandages and fresh water were more than he could have thought to be real, no life spitting on him before grinding him into the dirt. But here Karkat was, sitting on a rock at the edge of a large pool, greedily drinking down mouthfuls of the cold water as soon as he had wrapped his busted knee. It would take at least two days to heal, it was a realistic estimate. After all, while he was cleaning the wound he could see down to the bone. No big deal, trolls were tough and as long as he kept it clean and bound tight enough he would be fine.  
It seemed like he would actually live for a while longer, maybe even hide here until the season was over. He could send a message out easily enough. Pain dully throbbed in his body, and his head filled with future plans. He jumped then froze as he felt something cold, round and metal pressing to the back of his head.  
The universe hated him, that was the only answer possible as Karkat lifted his hands slowly in the air, to show he had no weapons. He really didn't. He was an idiot and left them on the other end of the pool. Now he just waited for the alien to pull the trigger. He hunted him down to do that right? The invaders seemed to have a very sparkling 'no troll left alive' policy.

John had stumbled through the dark cave, night vision activated on his helmet. All the same, he found himself tripping more than once over the occasional stray rock or bones, which he gulped and shied away from. Somewhere ahead of him, he could hear the sound of running water. His mouth was dry with anticipation of something cool and refreshing. As he moved closer, he saw something that made him freeze. There, crouching by a pool of water, sat the troll he had been tracking. John's eyes widened. He doubted this counted as luck, but it was definitely a sign. Fate, even.   
Swallowing hard, he willed his steps to be silent. He drew his weapon, the lightweight material barely making a sound as it was drawn from its holster. He winced with every step, but the troll was so wrapped within its own thoughts, he wasn't noticed. With all the stealth and grace of a drunken elephant, John positioned himself just under arm’s length away from the troll. He pressed his gun against the back of its skull, finger held loosely over the trigger. He couldn't help but notice the creature's tiny horns, barely peeking out from beneath a mess of dark hair. He grinned, but quickly wiped the expression from his face, despite knowing that no one could see it. The troll held its hands out, showing its lack of weapons. John circled around it, keeping his gun aimed steadily at the other's head. He followed the darting red eyes and managed to locate his colorful sickles, laying harmlessly across the small body of water.   
John raised one hand, hoping to convey somehow that he didn't want to hurt anyone here. However, he kept his gun raised.   
"Listen, I don't want to hurt you. I just wandered in here to get out of the sun, okay?" he didn't even know if trolls spoke any kind of known language, but he hoped his tone would help calm the troll down, at least. "Well, I guess that I actually came here originally looking for you. But finding you was a total accident, I swear! Um, but if we could both be civil about this, that would be great."   
He licked his chapped lips again, tongue bumping over his teeth. He wondered if the troll would attack him if he turned his back to get a drink. 

The human was talking, or at least that’s what it seemed to doing from the odd miss-mash of sounds meeting his auricular sponge clots. Karkat wasn't really concerned with communicating with the creature, it was obvious who had the gun here and that before too long the troll would probably be dead. What torture he would endure before that point? Only this high blood colored alien knew. Time to nickname his probable killer, Blue was a pleasant fit right?  
Karkat lowered his hands to the pockets of his pants, but it didn't seem to be exactly what the alien wanted. The cold metal was once again pressed to his skull, an obvious warning. Slowly his hands moved back to his head, Karkat waited. Once the gun was lowered slightly again he snapped his arms back down, this time moving quicker. Emptying his pockets with a small glare Karkat proved himself to be carrying no other weapons, a few odd pieces of technology sure, but nothing that could obviously harm the invader.  
However no troll was truly defenseless as his claws and teeth were definitely good examples of what a person did not want to be on the other end of. What was the other planning, he wasn't sure as the small tilts of the helmet covered head seemed to scream that he wanted the water babbling at his feet. 

John grinned behind his helmet, glad to see that the troll was doing its part, emptying its pockets to show that it meant no harm. He wasn't sure that it understood him, considering it had yet to respond to anything he was saying, but at least it seemed friendly enough off the battlefield!   
John's eyes darted between the troll and the water, so painfully close and ridiculously tempting.   
"Hey, um. Do you think you could maybe move back a bit?" he asked, feeling suddenly sheepish. "I mean, no offense of whatever, but we're kind of at war and I'd rather not have any surprises." He waited for some sort of response. When there wasn't one, the human sighed. Lowering his gun slightly, so it was aiming at the troll's leg as opposed to its head or any other vital organs, he gestured to the troll to come closer. "If you're not going to move out of the way, I'm going to have to restrain you, alright?"   
He leaned down, gathering up some of the stray cloths he had noted earlier one-handed, never taking his sights from the enemy. For the most part, the troll didn't struggle too badly as he tied its hands behind its back. He gulped when he noted the decidedly dangerous yellow claws. 

As soon as the cold metal of an armored hand brushed against his abnormally warm skin, a growl bubbled up from his lips. Not like he could really control it, but it seemed the simple sound made the alien flinch. Hands being wrenched a lot less gently than before behind his back and strips of old jade colored fabric binding them together tightly. At least Blue didn't seem to be planning on binding his legs. It was a gift that he wasn't going to take for granted. It guaranteed the slightest chance that he could make an escape attempt.  
As soon as Blue let go of his arms, Karkat took three rapid steps back, but not making an all-out run for it. There was usually, stupidly, only one entrance and exit big enough to fit an adult troll in these old brooding caverns. He would be shot before he got too far or rot in the sun still high over head. Slowly he sat himself on one of the beautifully carved chairs, both of them staring the other down before Blue finally looked away and started messing with the latches at the back of its helmet.

Fumbling with his helmet, a frown was set firmly on John's face. He was admittedly a little bit hurt that the troll had growled at him. His friend back at the base always told him that he was too sensitive about stupid stuff. Maybe he was right, after all. John pulled off his helmet, shaking out his hair and brushing the hurt feelings away. 'Of course the troll had growled at me', he reasoned. 'It's only natural to be a little angry about being tied up and not trusted.'   
Out loud, he said "Don't worry! I'll untie you as soon as I'm armed again. Sound good?" he grinned widely at the troll, running his hand through his hair. He grimaced as he turned away, feeling the untamable spikes of his hair more mussed than usual thanks to the helmet. The air was surprisingly refreshing here in the cave, as opposed to the almost sweltering atmosphere that he had grown accustomed to out in the sun and in camp. He knelt by the side of the pond, still keeping an eye on the troll, which was lounging in an ornately carved rock-chair. The fact that there was such a chair down here was certainly puzzling, but John figured he could worry about it later. He cupped his hands and drank deeply, sighing happily at the rush of refreshing, cool water. John splashed his face and wet his hair before straightening back up, water dripping from his head and each drop making a quiet "plop plop" that echoed throughout the cave. So far, the troll still had said nothing, unless growling was a form of communication...?   
Shaking his head, John meandered over to the troll. He grinned at how it still managed to look hilariously grouchy, even whilst lounging in a chair fit for royalty.

"Oh great, so we have been fighting pink skinned, hornless, nubby teethed aliens that look like if I breathed wrong it would fall over. Lucky Alternia, the one troll that sees the face of the enemy is going to die probably before telling anyone. Not like anyone would believe a tale about something so hideous." Alright grumbling to oneself was not a good sign on the sanity under stress levels, but Karkat could deal with it as he noted that even calling the alien standing before him 'ugly' wasn't exactly the right word. Like hell he was going to admit it, and if it was tortured out of him he would just blame it on these stupid hormones that were already trying to kick start in his body. Already those pheromones were probably pouring out of his body, it was a safety function of trolls to hopefully coax any attacking troll into pailing instead of culling during the season.   
Nope not happening, away with you oh disturbing thoughts. He managed to keep his glare as furious and indignant as ever as he squirmed back into the chair as the alien approached. Barring his teeth slightly when he noticed the gun remaking an amazing comeback. After a few moments he slumped back in the chair. Not like he could do anything as the human came ever closer not that it didn't seem like Karkat was going to make a leap for its throat.  
Karkat did however, let out a startled yelp when he felt warm hands, not the metal clad ones, wrapping around his horns. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"*

Well, the troll was speaking at least! He couldn't understand a word he said, but it was a start. John watched him, observing the little kitten-sharp teeth that flashed as he grumbled, and the slight movements of his shoulders and head. The troll slumped backwards into the chair, and John couldn't help but feel guilty about how defeated he looked.   
"Hey little guy, I'm not going to hurt you." John promised, but his words garnered no response. This close, he couldn't deny that the troll was really kind of cute! Seeing them on the battlefield, he had always pictured them as more animalistic, more monster like. Now, so close he could reach out and touch one, he had to admit that this troll looked almost human! Sure, it had grey skin and sharp teeth and claws and horns, but it still looked like a person. Speaking of horns.... Well, this one's horns were a lot smaller than any he had ever seen before! Suddenly curious, he reached out to grab a hold of one of the nubby little things. He stroked it, marveling at the smoothness and the bright colors, barely noticing the shocked squawking noises the creature was making. He moved his hand from the horn to the troll's hair, surprised by how course it was compared to a human's. He rubbed his hand through the dark hair, pausing when he noticed that the troll was...rumbling? He grinned when he realized that he was purring.  
John laughed and started petting the troll again, before going to stroke the smooth horn once more. By this point, he was practically on the chair himself.   
This troll sure was interesting! He'd never been this close to one before!

What was going on? The invader's warm, long fingers were moving along his horns like he was his matesprit or something! Small screeches and clicks of protest leaving his lips as the alien very much got into his personal, no-fuckasses-allowed bubble. Red eyes looked onto the goofy bucktoothed smile, but the other would not meet his gaze, seeming to be too interested in exploring the head of his captive. Another slow stroke through his short mess of hair.  
How dare it! Like he didn't already live with the agony of knowing that he could never fill those quadrants. Terezi would never flush red for him, and at this point he was glad. Because of the war, they were kept apart. Her stinging rejection still fresh in his mind, Nepeta wanted to be with him, but he couldn't let her be dragged down because of his mutant blood and the fact that the feelings were not mutual. Also, there was the fact that Equius would have his head on a platter if he tried anything.  
He was dragged out of his shitstain record of his love life when he felt those fingers once again trail along his horns. Anytime he managed to get enough focus to try and kick for freedom his body would shut down the idea as fingers stroked and squeezed his pathetic nubs for horns. Fuuuuuuuck, the troll had been separated from any kind of sexual contact, and his season wasn't expected to start for another few days. Now though, his physical contact starved body was jumping into hyper drive with hormones and instincts.  
Another almost tug on his horns, made a small moan bubble out of his throat, his whole body seemed to be heating up, breath coming shorter as he shifted his legs awkwardly with the human hovering just above them. Pain flared in his abdomen and he knew what was happening, he was honestly glad for the dark material of his own uniform coupled with the fact that the end of the shirt (too large on him) hung lower than normal, though the marble chair below him was pristine, lusus ass white.

John froze. Was he hurting the troll? He withdrew his hand guiltily, a sheepish apology already forming. The words died on his lips when he noticed the look on the troll's face.   
His cheeks were flushed bright red, eyes glazed, and he definitely looked to be in pain. The human began to worry, internally going over every bit of first aid he knew. Admittedly, it really wasn't too much. He frowned, searching every inch of visible grey flesh he could see for a trace of blood. There was none visible, which only made him more anxious.   
"What's wrong?" he demanded, voice pitching up an octave. He cleared his throat and tried to collect himself before continuing. "If you can somehow tell me what's wrong, I'll try to help you." He steeled himself. He was a fighter, and he had never had to deal with blood or wounds off the battlefield. He wasn't sure how well he'd handle this situation, but he didn't want to watch a seemingly civil troll just die when there was something he could do about it.   
He leaned forward, almost face-to-face with the troll now, their breaths intermingling as he stared deep into the bright red of his eyes, looking for any kind dilation or signs of a concussion.   
He gulped and felt his heart stutter a bit. Something about those eyes seemed familiar.... He pulled away, and began running his fingers against the troll's skull again, this time searching for bumps. He found none.   
"What should I do?" he asked the troll again, biting his lower lip with a building sense of anxiety. 

Closer, closer the alien was getting to him, the thing's voice rising for some reason. But Karkat didn't fucking care, he didn't care about the war right now, he didn't care about the trolls slaughtered by this creature's hand only an hour ago, not about the empress, not about his moirail, nothing mattered right now except for the dull throb rolling down his entire body, the heat building, and those strange, impossibly-blue eyes. The deep rumbling purr still vibrating his chest as the human was now combing through his hair in some odd desperate motions. The quickness of it actually pulled his hair and fingers pressed harder over every inch of his scalp. To Karkat's body this was a “troll seeks the flushed quadrant during mating season and the imperial drones will soon come and you WILL die if you do not fill buckets, you stupid nooksniffer” moment. Instincts didn't care if this was some other species or the enemy. His mind felt fuzzy, and yeah, fuck it all, he was going to die anyway.  
He just needed it a little closer, Karkat's legs snapped out to wrapped around the calves of the alien, knocking Blue unbalanced so he was actually sitting across his thighs now. Yes, the other was taller than him, but the weight didn't really matter. The troll's back straightening as much as possible and his lips meeting parted, shocked ones of the human. Taking all the chances he could get as another almost-painful pulse went through him. Yeah, fuck this, who cared anymore?


	3. What, No, Yes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning dubious consent,  
> NOTE: My head cannon is that trolls in heat produce pheromones that can be very effective on humans.

John grunted in surprise as he suddenly found himself sprawled hap hazardously across the troll's lap. He wasn't totally certain what had just happened, but all of a sudden the troll was right in his face, lips pressing against his own. He opened his mouth to...what? Protest? Reciprocate? He didn't really know, but as soon as he did, a tongue was slipped into his mouth. He let out a muffled yelp, but couldn't seem to find the will to pull away. A second of uncertainty, then his eyes slipped shut and he leaned into the kiss. His hand was still resting atop the other's head, and he clenched his fist, using the course black hair to pull the troll closer.   
His other hand, which was still holding his gun loosely, came to rest on the back of his neck. The grey flesh was hard and dry under his own ungloved hand. Somewhere in the back of his mind, John couldn't help but wonder what exactly was happening. Sure, he had been on tour for a good long while and hadn't experienced a lot of physical contact for most of that time, but that hadn't been bothering him before! All of a sudden, though, he couldn't seem to get close enough to another warm body.   
He moaned into the kiss, pushing closer, trying to press their bodies together despite the awkward position they were in. Not that he had been a stud, exactly, but he had had his fair share of makeouts in his lifetime. Strangely enough, this troll was probably the second best one so far. He pushed his own tongue forward, feeling the prick of sharp teeth.   
With a gasp for breath, John pulled back, his head spinning.

Shivering, his whole body was shuddering as it felt like being shocked with Sollux’s psionics with each brush of their tongues, a pull on his hair, or slightest movement that the alien made on top of him. The cold metal of the gun, it was a frightening factor, but so far the human had seemed reluctant to pull the trigger. Especially now that they were both tongue deep in each other’s mouth. Karkat should have been disgusted, screaming that this was wrong with at least his mind, if not his body as well. But no, for some god-awful reason it felt almost right to be kissing this pink-skinned dork. Idiot, how would Karkat know whether or not Blue was geeky for his species, again somehow it seemed to fit.   
A rather hard tug on his hair forced him to lean back with a small whimper at the lost, he needed the closeness, he never had he been so close to well, anything red happening. Was the other rejecting him, coming to his senses that he was practically grinding on the enemy? Karkat was praying that he wasn’t, because if he was left in this state he didn’t know what he would do. The last seasons were barely bearable because he had isolated himself away from any contact that would spark him. That sure as hell wasn’t the situation here. He’d rather the human shoot him than leave him. He was losing his mind as both himself and the human gasped for breath.  
Red eyes looked up towards bright blue, before looking away nervously, what did he expect? It’s not like he could ask what he wanted or thought. Another pulse from his lower body made him bite into his lips as he tried to not groan out. His legs twitched as they desperately wanted to press even closer together.

With his heart beating faster than it ever had in a fight, and feeling more than a little lightheaded, John tried to figure out what exactly was going on. This was weird, considering he didn't even know the first thing about the troll. No, wait. It was even weirder because their species were currently engaged in a fucking war. Groaning, he pressed their foreheads together. He was still in the troll's lap, arms still wrapped around him. Now that he was pausing to actually think, he realized that the troll's hands were still tied together. With a jolt of horror, John realized that maybe the troll was just trying to get through the ordeal alive, and maybe this was how his species handled things. That didn't seem quite right to him, but... What did he know, after all? Pretty much nothing.  
Not that he didn't want to continue -a part of him was screaming about how ridiculous that thought was, while another part, the more dominant part, it would seem, was all in favor of continuing- but he also didn't want this troll to think that something like this was necessary. Slowly, he retracted his hands. The troll made a funny noise deep in its throat that reminded John of a whimper.   
"I'm not going to hurt you." he reassured, forgetting momentarily that the other couldn't understand him. With that, he hoisted the troll from the supposed throne so he could get at the bindings easier. He knelt behind him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off the troll's body. Setting his gun down, he began to fumble with the knots.

Another set of sounds that was probably words again, though Karkat wondered slightly if he himself could form a simple sentence right about now. It didn't matter, he was being hoisted up from his chair and into the taller alien's chest. There was a small click of the gun being laid on the marble seat, but it didn't matter as the human's arms were wrapped around him as long fingers fiddled with the knots. Groaning in impatience Karkat set his own claws into the fabric, trying to rip his way through. With both of their efforts, the shreds of cloth were falling to the ground.  
What the troll didn't expect was for the alien to back away from him, as if trying to put space back between them. That was NOT what he fucking wanted. A trilling sound of frustration leaving his throat as he rubbed over his sore, red wrists, before looking back up as the human made a gasping sound.  
Following the blue gaze he felt his cheeks redden from the mark on the once perfectly white chair. Then again it wasn't like anyone was going to use it again anytime soon. But that confused and worried expression on the pink face, made his blood pusher twist slightly. He took a few steps closer, when the other didn't attack or run he decided it was safe to continue. Let him drown in blue blood sweat, he was not going to miss this chance, he could escape later. Fuck, where did his rational thought go? Karkat moved so their bodies were almost flushed before reaching a hand out, again slowly in case the other thought this was another attack, before running his hand through surprisingly soft hair, pulling him back down for a kiss.

On one hand, there was the problem that the troll was maybe bleeding, but on the other hand, kissing him was really really REALLY nice. John figured if the troll wasn't worrying, he wouldn't either. He leaned into the kiss, hands circling the troll's waist. He hummed happily at the contact and the feeling of being this close to someone. The kiss was all teeth and desperate gasps and a lot of tongue, and it was really perfect. The red eyed troll had a tight grip on his hair and John felt a jolt go through him every time the grey fingers tightened. Their bodies were pressed together. The fit wasn't perfect, but it was definitely nice, and it felt right somehow.   
John flexed his fingers, grasping at the material of the troll's uniform, moving his fingers slowly up and then back down again. He felt the troll shift, and he pulled him closer. There was another tug on his hair, and John was suddenly really glad for his armor. It helped to hide certain embarrassing bodily functions. Although considering the situation, he kind of guessed that that was the endgame goal. He pulled away to breathe, he felt a little dazed. Opening his eyes, he stared right into the flushed face of the troll. The sight made him smile as he moved his hands to the other's hips.

A small gulp, the alien's hands had slipped downwards now and it made red eyes flicker nervously between the not-really-offending appendages and those captivating blue eyes. He wasn't being pushed away, far from it. But maybe Karkat should have thought things through a hell of a lot better as the pressure built inside of him with each small rub along the length of his spine and actually jumped slightly when the other gave one squeeze to his ass. His head darted up to glare at the human, though he was only met with a sound that made him assume he was being laughed at. Yeah very funny, tease the hormonally driven troll. That would end great for anyone.  
Growling softly in annoyance, Karkat nuzzled his head into the neck of the human, tongue moving out slowly to move across soft vulnerable skin, the way the other stiffened made a smirk come to Karkat's lips. While those dull teeth were useless in actually harming troll skin, his jagged fangs were certainly not.  
He almost didn't think that the other was breathing until Karkat drew a small bit of flesh into his mouth, sucking and worrying the small spot as a not so quiet moan left Blue's lips.

Holy shit. Troll boy could go from adorable to really fucking hot in seconds. Which was, admittedly, kind of cool. John tilted his head back. The troll had latched onto his neck, and his armor was suddenly feeling really tight and totally unnecessary. He swallowed, then gasped. Okay, yeah, the troll was really talented with his mouth.   
His fingers clenched at the other's shoulders, pulling at the fabric. He slipped his hands down, aiming to find the hem of the top of the uniform, or to find some sort of clasp or zipper. When he did, he made quick work of them. He slipped his hands under the fabric, marveling at the feeling of the smooth yet somehow tough skin. He grinned when he felt the vibrations that seemed to come from deep within the troll's body under his fingertips. The troll pulled away, mouth moving around some words that John didn't understand. He frowned before leaning down to press a kiss to the other's lips, then to his jaw, kissing his way down to his neck. His fingernails scraped at the troll's back, blunt nails leaving almost no marks.   
He grimaced against the grey skin of the alien's shoulder when it suddenly occurred to him how hard it would be to remove all his armor.

"Getting fucking bold finally?" Karkat grumbled, mostly to himself. The language barrier was a pain, but at the same time it probably made it easier for the both of them, helping them not make believe that this was one of their own species or an actual lover. Who knew how these alien's love life went, mostly likely once this was over one of them would dead either by the other's hand or by the war raging on between them. Blue boy could be holding all the secrets to how to actually defeat them, but all Karkat cared about was getting out of his pants and into some hornless freak's. Maybe Blue was thinking the same thing about him, but it didn't seem like it was going to change the plans of ravaging Karkat. Was the alien a male? Did they have gender? He didn't have any idea and he didn't care as long as they found some way to do this before he exploded or some shit.  
A hard shudder ran down his frame as he felt the warm hands trailing over his skin, almost immediately going to explore the top of his chest, rubbing over it and forcing a confused sound from Karkat's lips, though it seemed that Blue was just as stumped as the fingers moved along the spot a few more times before a defeated sigh seemed to leave his lips. That was all fine and dandy for the troll as he continued to suck and lick at the skin of the other's throat.   
However when fingers slid down his sides his claws scrambled desperately against the armor that the other was wearing as fingers slid over his sensitive grubscars, teeth nicking the other's skin lightly as he moaned low, hips rocking into the alien's.

Well, there was a distinct lack of human parts, John noted with a sense of mild disappointment. He wondered what else was- oh. Well, that was different. He ran his fingers over the strange ridges on the troll's side again, smirking when he noticed the reaction that got. He hoped that the claws wouldn't leave any marks on his armor. He winced when he felt sharp teeth break the tender skin of his neck. However, the twinge of pain was quickly forgotten as the friction of their bodies gave him a rush of pleasure. He took a step forward, backing the troll up until he was pressed against a wall of the cave. He pulled the uniform top off, eyes raking curiously across the grey skin of his chest. He knelt down to examine the red marks on the troll's side. He placed his palm over them, grinning when he felt the shudder that went through the troll's whole body. He pressed a kiss to one of them, then licked the mark. Well, that definitely elicited a reaction. Long fingers tangled in his hair, claws scraping over his scalp as he was tugged closer. He grinned, scraping his teeth over the troll's abdomen, then kissing and licking his way downwards.  
Slipping his hands around to knead at the plush rump, he began to wonder how long he could keep teasing the troll before he lost his head. Oddly enough, the thought didn’t bother him in the least.*

He knew grubscars were sensitive, every troll knew that, but Karkat didn't realize just how sensitive until he felt the warm tongue and dull teeth licking and biting at them. His legs were actually starting to tremble with the effort to keep standing, leaning back against the cold cave wall that felt absolutely fantastic against his hot skin. Mouth falling open with small moans as fingers tangled tightly in the thick hair of the alien, he might be nicking the skin of his scalp with his claws, but it was obvious that neither of them particularly cared at the moment to set down ground rules of, well, NOT ripping out chunk of hair, Karkat biting, or... A startled gasp forced the troll out of his inner rant as he felt the cool breeze of the cave around his legs.  
"Could you not give me any sort of warning? Fucking asshole, bucktoothed, idiotic," He wasn't even sure why he was insulting the human anymore, he just felt so indignant about having his pants roughly pulled down and leaving him only in his simple grey, or what used to be grey, undergarments.  
But it seemed like everything had suddenly stopped, in fact it seemed like the alien was even trying to pull away from him. The mere idea making Karkat almost sob with frustration at the fact that the one creature that seemed to be willing to go this length with him was about to back out and do who knows what. Red eyes scrunched shut tightly, afraid to see the expression on alien's face at the fact that his mutant red color was so shamefully displayed.  
When nothing happened, Karkat forced his eyes back open, meeting blue, was that worry on his face? His gaze snapped down to the hand gripping the edge of his underwear, the human seemed to be asking for permission and slowly Karkat forced himself to nod.

John wondered why the troll had tensed up like that. He had seemed really scared there for a moment, and that had left John worried. But he had nodded, and he hadn't pushed John away. When the human looked, he saw no sign of hesitation in those red eyes. He smiled, trying to be reassuring, then slipped his fingers under the waistband of the troll's underwear.   
When he slipped the boxers like garment down, he froze. Well that was unexpected. He had heard rumors about the basic anatomy of trolls, but he had never seen it. He hadn't exactly expected to see it ever, and most certainly not this close up. He stared in confusion and curiosity, watching as what he could only assume was a troll's genitals writhed before his eyes.   
"Um… Is that normal?" he reached out a finger, uncertainly. Immediately, the tentacle-like appendage moved, wrapping around his finger and up to his wrist. It was warm and kind of slimy, but not really as bad as he'd expected. Not bad at all, actually. He glanced up towards the troll, but he couldn't read the expression on his face.

It felt like his whole body was burning with the confusing feelings of pleasure, embarrassment, and fear. What could the alien be thinking of the bright red that colored his bulge and dripped from his nook. It seemed like there was nothing physically keeping the human from just getting up and walking away from him while he was in this stupid, pathetic state. But by those stupid horrorterrors in old tales, he hoped that that was the last thing that Blue was planning on doing.   
Still the way that the other was just staring at his bulge was making his knees tremble. The alien was acting like he had never seen a bonebulge in his life and the warmth of the human's body just made the bulge squirm along his arm in search of a nook to fill. Pain flared up inside of Karkat suddenly at the thought of filling... anything. The buildup inside of him hurt and finally made him bare his teeth, inwardly hoping that the expression wouldn't scare Blue off.  
Yes, this might have been a bad idea, but Karkat found himself leaning down to grasp the human's hand with his own. Ignoring the confused babbling from alien lips, he dragged the hand, and, by extension, the human closer to him.  
Karkat kept bringing the fingers closer until he felt the tips brush against his wet nook, making a low moan escape his lips. He just hoped the other would get the point... But the way the human tilted his head in an attempt to actually look at his nook made Karkat want to crawl in a hole and die. Well they were already underground anyway.

"Oh my god."


	4. What Did You Say?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally sex

"Oh my god." the quiet exclamation fell from his lips, full of confusion and a bit of wonder. Well, he had heard rumors that trolls had both parts, but this kind of confirmed it. He reached back some more, feeling along the slit. The tentabulge crawled along his arm, red liquid seeping and staining John’s armor. “Oh crap.” He muttered, pulling back. He ignored the noise that the troll made, working instead to remove the arm pieces. “Hold on, you impatient jerk.” He muttered, biting his lip and focusing on the complicated clasps that held his uniform in place. The arm guards fell away with a clatter. He readjusted himself, kneeling on the ground between the troll’s legs. Reaching forward, he smirked when the bulge seemed to wrap almost eagerly around his wrist again. It was like it had a mind of its own! He glanced upwards, blue eyes meeting red, assessing the expression before he reached back, fingers brushing up against the nook. Immediately, the troll stiffened before slumping down, his weight supported almost fully by the wall and John’s other hand, which was resting on his hip, pushing him back against the smooth rocky surface.  
John slipped a finger inside, crooking it, humming. There was a sense of satisfaction at the noises that the troll made. Leaning forward, pressing his forehead to the troll’s stomach, tilting his head so that he could stimulate those strange marks with his tongue at the same time.  
John was squirming slightly himself, pants uncomfortably tight, but tried to ignore it for now. He added another finger, curious about the redness that was dripping to the cave floor. What he had been concerned might be blood, he was relieved to find, was not blood at all. Now that he was this close, it was easy to see that the substance was pretty different.  
John had to admit, as unusual as this was, the noises the troll was making were absolutely delicious.

For a frightening moment Karkat had thought that his blood pusher had actually stopped working when the human pulled away again. But when all the other seemed to be doing was pulling off more bits of that stupid, annoying, ugly- Fuck! Karkat wasn't sure what kind of noise he just made, but the feeling of something thin and long entering his nook his whole body clenched up. If he hadn't been held so tight against the wall by the other hand, which he was sure was going to leave quite the bruise later, he would have fallen to a heap on the floor. But as Blue's mouth moved along his stomach and grubscars again he went lax.  
Taking fast, deep breaths as he realized once again this was real, someone else was actually doing this to him. He wasn't horribly alone right now dealing with this. Moaning low, he felt another finger sliding inside of him, then another.  
The feeling making him squirm and chitter in slight discomfort as his fingers worked back through the dark hair. However, slowly he got used to the feeling of the human drawing the fingers out then pushing right back in. When the alien crooked his fingers the next time he was deep inside the troll, the noise Karkat made was almost a squeal as he scraped at the armor, this needed to be off NOW!

Realizing what the troll was getting at, John took a few steps back, working to remove his armor. His hand was slick with fluid and kept sliding over the clasps he was supposed to be undoing. He groaned with frustration, settling back to struggle with them. For a second, all was quiet within the cave besides the sound of John fumbling with the metal armor and the steady trickling of water. Then, with a growl, the troll leaped forward, nearly on top of John.  
The human froze, eyes wide, wondering if this had all been a ruse. He was already cursing himself for his stupidity, ready to accept the inevitable. To his surprise, though, his throat was still intact, besides a certain marking, and he was still very much alive. The troll was working at his clothes, practically tearing the armor off of him. He winced as he heard his chest plate hit a wall on the far side of the cave, the noise echoing. Still half clothed, he grinned and pulled the troll closer to him, leaning up to place a quick kiss upon his horn. He then went back to disrobing himself, the troll helping sometimes, but otherwise managing to get in the way. Their hands kept bumping, heads knocking, bodies grinding together.  
John moaned, eyes slipping shut as, together, they removed his pants and the cool cave air hit his inner thighs. He squirmed on the cave floor, chewing his lip, and pulled the troll closer. The feeling of the skin-on-skin contact was sensational, burning through him like fire and yet not painful in the least. He leaned up to the troll’s throat, licking at the skin before biting down lightly. With one hand, he reached down again, resting it upon the troll’s lower back, nails skating gently over the skin. 

Fuck the aliens and their stupid armor, Karkat almost yelled in relief when the other finally seemed to be as naked as he was, though red eyes immediately darted downwards to the waist of his apparent partner. What he saw was…strange. The human's bulge look stiff and was certainly wider than what a troll usually was, it made him shift nervously before relaxing as he was drawn closer to the human again. The warmth between them both comforting and suffocating at the same time.  
Carefully Karkat looped his arms around the taller's neck, giving him just a little more control, shuddering as he felt the human's mouth moving along his throat. Moaning low as he felt his bulge suddenly wrapping around the human's. The reaction that that brought forth was certainly the most violent that Karkat had managed to get out of the human.  
A small yelp coming from the troll's lips as the alien rolled on top of him, blinking owlishly up at the bucktoothed other, scowling when the other seemed to be snickering as his expression, a small kiss being placed on the tip of his nose. Growling, he lifted his hips off the ground to grind sharply against the one's above him, causing his bugle to twist and writhe against the human's.

Wow. That definitely felt fucking fantastic.  
John smiled down at the troll, but his arms were shaking a bit. His whole body felt like it was tingling, spiking with pleasure. He inched his way backwards so that their chests were pressed together, his head just above the troll’s. He lowered himself so his weight was almost completely supported, and pressed his lips to the colorful candy corn horn. He ground against the troll, hips moving in a slow rhythm. The troll growled but the sound was caught somewhere in the back of his throat, not lending it the sense of danger it might have had at another time.  
John simply giggled, resting on his elbows and using his hands to rub up and down the other’s sides, and kissed his way down the troll’s body. Pausing at the place where a human might have nipples or a bellybutton, he quickly moved on, marveling over the little anatomical differences. It was definitely interesting! He kissed each leg, kneeling between them. 

The small little pauses as short and maybe meaningless as they could maybe be, they still drew Karkat’s attention, making small little moans leave his lips before he shuddered and shook under the feeling of the fingers moving along his sides. It felt awkward for the human to be being so fucking gentle, there was no biting, no clawing, or hard hair pulling. Even in a matespritship there was at least a little bit of violent tendencies. Karkat was not going to call him out on that. After all, he was too afraid to even grip the human’s arm too tight in case he punctured the apparently soft and weak skin. It explained why the aliens wore such thick armor and exposed nothing to the elements. It was a wonder how they survived during the times before they were able to mass produce the things.  
What he didn’t understand though was why the human was now kneeling down below him. Shuddering hard and letting out a small confused chittering whine as he felt the human’s warm breath along his bulge and by extension his nook. The next moment his claws were skittering across the stone floor and his voice a keening cry.

Although the noises the troll made caused him to wince, John didn't pull away. Instead, he braced his hands on the troll's warm thighs, fingers digging into the flesh. Breathing carefully through his nose and trying to ignore the taste in his mouth, he continued his ministrations. It wasn't that it was unpleasant, exactly. Just unfamiliar. He closed his eyes and bobbed his head slightly, and the noises were suddenly a bit more satisfying. A pair of clawed hands were in his hair, tangled, seeming unsure whether to push him further or pull him away. Instead, they did nothing, just rested there, occasionally clenching and pulling at the dark strands. John grunted at the feeling, trying not to flinch. He raised one hand to bat them away before using it to stimulate first the troll's sides, then his nook. John's hands came away, dripping red with genetic material. At another time, he might have felt mildly grossed out. He had to admit that right now, though, it was kind of hot.  
He shifted, uncomfortable and feeling more than slightly warm. The cave floor wasn't exactly ideal for getting off, but he figured that could wait. For the time being, he was content with exploring the troll's body with his hands and tongue. 

Oh gog, this could not be happening, there was no way that a mouth was on his bulge right now. This would never fucking happen between trolls, the threat of teeth slipping was much too great. While the alien’s teeth were certainly small and dull, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t hurt and possibly damage Karkat. But the heat and tightness of the human’s mouth made him shiver and reluctant to try and pull the other off. There was also the threat of the human biting if Karkat did try to escape. Instead the troll was just trying to relax, a small moan leaving his lips as he felt the human’s tongue sliding along his bulge. Breath coming in short ragged gasps as he felt fingers sliding back inside of his nook. This was an all-new kind of torture and Karkat felt like he was going to literally explode if he didn’t… didn’t.  
A frantic whine left his lips and as soon as he felt the human’s mouth leave him, Karkat scrambled backwards using the heels of his feet and hands. Ignoring the sounds from Blue’s lips as he planted the foot of his uninjured leg on the human’s shoulder, rolling him, yes he was going to call it a male. One hard push and this time it was the human on his back and Karkat on top.

The sudden and violent reaction was definitely unexpected. He had worried that he had somehow hurt the troll when it suddenly scrambled backwards. Now, though, as the world stopped spinning from the sudden re-position. John realized he was staring at the ceiling, feeling slightly winded from the impact. His shoulder ached from where he had been kicked, and a rock was digging into his back. One growly and whining troll was on top of him, pinning him in place.  
John swallowed hard, adam’s apple bobbing. Bright red irises stared back at him, full of emotions that John wasn't sure he would ever be able to really place.  
The troll was on him then, lips attacking his mouth with more force than John had dared show. He reached up, arms wrapping around the troll, dull fingernails scraping across the tough grey flesh. He returned the kiss with vigor, humming deep in his throat. The troll's hands trailed over his body, claws scraping slightly and making John shiver. Their heavy breathing was the only noise in the cave, echoing loudly. John broke away for breath. His head was reeling, and he moaned when he felt tongue and teeth on his exposed neck.  
He jolted when he felt a hand on his groin, fingers exploring, as if they were searching for something. John wondered how much trolls knew about human anatomy, if anything at all. He groaned, and the noise was amplified and carried back to his own ears. Squirming, the human arched up, pressing their bodies closer together.

There was no nook, the human didn’t seem to have anything besides a bulge and a waste chute. There was no way that he was about to use that when that was usually kismesis territory.  
Who knows what the human sense of romance was, but they seemed to already be horribly deprived in at least the physical way compared to trolls.  
Instead he lowered a hand down to lightly grip the oddly stiff and dry bulge, frowning in thought as he quickly loosened his grip when he heard the human yelp, seemed that area was still just as sensitive as a troll down there. Kissing and biting lightly at the pink neck as he thought out his next move. Just how was he supposed to go about making this work? Well he honestly didn't have too much of a choice in the matter as the pain in his abdomen flared up once again.  
"Fuck, please just don't try anything stupid, for the love of gog, if you do. Who even knows? The universe might hate us both enough to suddenly say 'oh no you must certainly not believe that something is going even slightly right in your life, nope instant pain, misfortune, and death, that'll be a quick fix'.”  
Steeling himself, Karkat resettled himself over the human's waist, he gave one last nervous look towards wide blue eyes before slowly lowering himself onto the alien bulge, eyes clenching in pain from the unusual feeling. Relax, he had to relax, ignore the pain of it, and the stupid ache starting back up in his knee from the awkward position.

John sucked in a breath, eyes closing tight. He reached forwards, fingers grasping at the troll's hips. Rolling his hips a bit, he shivered at the delicious sensation. Eyes flying open at a noise the troll made, John stared up at him with concern. He bit his lip, trying to focus.  
"Hey, you alright?" He relaxed his fingers, moving them back around to rub at the troll's back in what he hoped was a comforting motion. There was no verbal response, just a bright red glare. John grinned up at him, a little awkward. The troll's eyes were half shut, his brow creased, baring his teeth down at the human. John shifted, wondering offhandedly if the rocks digging into his back would bruise. He shuddered as the troll moved, too, and a sound of pleasure escaped his lips. That almost seemed to encourage him, and the troll moved again, slowly. John closed his eyes, moaning. The red genetic material offered lubrication, and the warm, slippery wetness of it was admittedly a very nice sort of sensation. He rocked his hips again, fingers sliding across the slick, hot flesh of the troll's back.  
Pulling the troll down and leaning up to press his lips to the troll's clavicle, he could hear the rapid beating of his heart.

Shit, shit, this was not fucking natural, this should have never been ever thought of, let alone attempted. The troll's nook was used to the bulge adjusting to it, not the other way around. But no, the alien remained stiff and mostly straight inside of him and Karkat was sure that even if he did jump off now, he was still going to be limping and aching for at least a day, even with the quick healing that trolls had.  
The nooksniffer had the nerve to actually move when Karkat was trying to shift, attempting to alleviate some of the pressure. A low growl leaving his lips as he tried to move to adjust again from the movement, though there was a small brush of something inside him that made the noise become a low keen. His shoulders shuddered and he was suddenly burying his head into the crook of the human's shoulder with a small whine. Slowly, he was rolling his hips down to try and get another brush of the feeling.

The movement was slow and uneven at first, their bodies moving and jolting at awkward angles and different times. Slowly, though, they adjusted. Their bodies began to move in sync, hips rolling and backs arching and fingers grasping all at once. The troll's whole body was shivering, clawed fingers digging into the rock by John's head. John was reeling with pleasure, jolts of white hot fire blazing through him with every movement and roll of their hips. The troll felt different than anyone he'd ever experienced before, the combined feeling of his nook and the movement of his bulge creating a whole new sensation.  
Air rushing out in a quiet whine, John shuddered, knowing he was close. His movements became more erratic, their rhythm thrown off.

It felt like Karkat was on fire, every nerve in his body sparking and shuddering as he rolled his hips down to meet each thrust that the human gave. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do at first, troll partners did not move nearly as much since their bulges were able to move, twist, and thrust on its own inside of another’s nook. The mutant’s tactic was mostly just to try and grind himself down on the other’s bulge to get more pressure on that spot. But it wasn’t enough.  
It wasn’t until Karkat had tried to get up slightly to find another way that he was reminded of the tight grip on his hips. The bucktoothed male had pulled him back down harshly as he rocked his hips up into the troll’s nook. FUCK, that felt good, holy bulgemunching shit, okay he could understand how these creatures have sex now. The human helped guide him a few more times before they fell into a rhythm. He was sure that he would have marks from the hard scratches rolling down his back and the hold of his hips.  
The small amount of pain was what he fucking wanted, moaning low as his bulged thrashed wildly as it looked for a place to hold onto or move along. It was building, building much too fast, he needed a fucking bucket, but there was no way that he was going to be able to get one in time. A small whine left his lips as he couldn't help but start nipping and kissing along the pale column of the human's neck. It was too much at the same time not enough, this was not happening. Then he felt it, a small tug on his bulge as the human's hand slid between their bodies. Then it was over, his whole body stiffing as it felt like everything had suddenly exploded, something coming out of his lips, that he wasn't exactly sure what it was, "J-John!"

John's vision went white, his breaths coming short and quick. He threw his head back, banging it against the rocks. In that moment, though, he couldn't care less. A word came to his lips, whispered like a prayer. "Karkat..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really would like to see some comments if you like the story. More to come soon.


	5. What Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So they did it, they made it happen, now... what were they supposed to do with reality coming back into the picture

Coming down from the high with the sensation of the troll's warm breaths against his neck, chapped lips moving against the sensitive, bruised skin, John turned his head and captured the troll's lips with his own. It was a quick, chaste kiss, punctuated by a warm smile. He wrapped his arms around the alien, fingers tracing gently over the scratches he had inflicted. Really though, the marks were only slightly raised lines of skin, troll hide was kind of amazingly thick.  
"Sorry." he murmured, eyes sliding shut. He felt content and calm, more so than he had in a long time. All of a sudden, a thought struck him. His eyes opened, brow creasing with confusion. "Hey... How did you know my name?" He turned to look him in the face, foreheads almost touching. Red and blue eyes locked, searching one another. John couldn't find any answers, although he felt that they were lurking somewhere just beyond his subconscious.  
The cave air was cooling their overheated bodies quickly, leaving them to feel chilled and sticky. Somehow, John couldn't quite find the will to move from their entangled position on the uncomfortable rocky ground.

In the distance he knew that he had heard the alien say something that resembled his name, the sound making him shudder as he felt the human... release? He wasn't sure as he collapsed on top of the alien, just breathing for the moment as his chest heaved. He looked up at the human in confusion as he heard the human mumbling something. "Why did you say my name?" The troll grumbled back before giving up and giving a small kiss to the human's lips before nuzzling into his neck. That had just happened, it really did, he was so sated and exhausted that the other could just roll him over, press a gun to his head and pull the trigger, Karkat would not even try to lift a finger to fight back.  
But... the heat coming from both of their bodies was soon becoming too much, slowly he rolled away to just stare up at the ceiling. The cold air and rock was an actual relief, though the comfort level was dropping quickly. Reluctantly he forced himself to sit up, wincing hard as pain flared up. Stupid human bulges, douchfucking lack of sleep, of ass lord of the injured knee, all together it added up to a grand ol' low burning sensation rolling through his body as his blood pusher started to slow back down.  
Taking another glance down at the human, Karkat's face grew red as he noticed the color that painted his waist and the ground. Time to cue guilt and panic, "Fuck, why the fuck did I do that, why the hell did you let me do that?! I am the most horrible excuse for a troll. Even a pathetic unicellular excuse for a mutant still swirling in the bowels of the slurry. I should have been culled on sight years ago because my thinkpan must be so severely damaged to have done that."

John stared up at the troll, head tilted in confusion at the angry conversation that he was apparently having with himself. Pushing himself to his feet, red dripped from his abdomen and squished under his feet. He reached out to lay a hand on the troll's shoulder, hoping to try and calm him down.  
"Hey, it's alright, dude." he offered a smile, awkward yet somehow also comfortable in the presence of this strange alien. He knew he should be reeling with mixed emotions and worries, but that would come later when he was lying alone on his cot or staring down his commanding officers. That was, if they ever found out about this whole ordeal. What they didn't know couldn't hurt them, right? "Come on. Let's get cleaned up."  
He took a hold of the troll's hand, fingers intertwined, and squeezed comfortingly. Pulling him towards the water, he waded in. The pool wasn't especially deep, but it was enough to rinse off. He splashed water over the thin shoulders, noticing for the first time the off-grey markings. He traced his fingers lightly over them, realizing that they were scars. "Geeze..." John breathed before shaking himself and going back to helping the troll rinse off. He splashed him playfully, poking and prodding and searching for some sort of ticklish spot that he was unsuccessful in finding. All the same, he kept finding his eyes drawn back to those scars.

The water was cool against his overheated skin, but the shiver that came from Karkat was one of relief more than anything. The human didn’t seem to be trying to abandon him or attack him, in fact the alien seemed to be trying to be comforting and playful as long fingers poked gently and traced along his skin as any visible trace of what had happened between them was washed away. When pale arms wrapped around his waist though Karkat’s thoughts whirled, a small sentimental gesture that was so red. But did the human understand troll relationships? He honestly… Karkat honestly wanted the human to understand, perhaps to help him feel that this wasn’t a fling, a mistake, something that would haunt him until his death as he would have to keep this 'incident' in the shadows.  
A hand moved along his back, circling a spot, so the blue eyes were looking along his body now in more detail now that they were not in the desperate state of need. The human was probably disgusted by the almost staggering amount of scars stretching along his body. Thin, long, sharp looking scars came from blades and claws, all from other trolls or from Karkat himself when he practiced day in and day out with sickles in hope for a dream that was half-way realized. Yes, he had become a commander of a troop of threshecutioners, but it was only accomplished because of the humans attacking and being friends with higher ups, such as the Empress herself, it placed him in the position a mutant had no right to be in.  
There were more recent ones though, huge circular marks falling across his back and some marks seemed to show that the injury had come out the other side. These were caused by bullets and the strange energy beams that came from some of the humans’ weapon, the shot burned right through flesh and it was honestly amazing that Karkat had lived through the scattered signs of close calls with death by the hands of the invaders. 

A sense of sadness welled up inside of John. Sadness, but also something akin to pride. He placed gentle fingers on the scars. In the dim light, his fingers stood out in stark contrast against the grey of the troll's skin. Fingertips moving softly over the marks, he marveled at each one, wondering what the stories behind them could be. This little guy was definitely a survivor, for sure. Somehow, though, he felt like he had already known that. He paused at one specific scar, frowning as he leaned closer to inspect it. It looked fresher than some of the others. He paled. That was definitely a bullet wound. His eyes darted towards the gun that had clattered off in a darkened corner of the cave. He sighed and pulled the troll closer once again, breathing in the musky scent that clung to the course hair.  
"You've been through a lot, huh?" he kissed the horn and nuzzled into the dark hair, eyes closing. "I'm proud of you."  
In his grasp, the troll stiffened and then relaxed, and John smiled. It was easy to distinguish the war wounds from any other scars, and as John found more and more of them with his roving hands, he couldn't help the feeling of guilt that welled up inside of him. He didn't know if he had made any of the marks (he kind of doubted it) but the fact that this troll had been hurt on so many occasions by a war that John's race had started still bothered him. It was a wonder that he was still alive. John pulled him closer, suddenly afraid, like the troll might disappear the second they were no longer touching.  
He wondered vaguely if there had ever been any inter-species romances before.

The human was mumbling again. What kind of idiot kept talking even when he knew that they could not be understood, let alone communicate with each other? But the human seemed the kind of person that would do anything for someone that he liked, why he would take pity on a horrible excuse for a troll like him? Karkat honestly had no idea. Long fingers continued to dance along his skin before wrapping around him and holding him tighter to the pinkish chest. With some stubborn wiggling that the mutant was known for, Karkat managed turn himself around and be face that startling blue gaze, both of them seemed to be desperate to pick apart each other's expression and dive into their eyes for some kind of clue to what the other was thinking or feeling about this odd and sudden mash-up.  
A small frustrated sigh left the troll's lips as he looked down at the smooth chest before him, hands trailing up to look the small whitish marks that had to be the human's own sets of scars. But... they didn't even seem to hold a flame holding stick to the amount that covered Karkat's body. Only small lines from maybe blades or maybe claws, but honestly he could only count twenty of the marks and maybe only an inch long each. He probably shouldn't be surprised considering the fucking thick armor that each human wore.  
What was in store for them now? It seemed like the human wasn't about to let him go even if darkness fell, but if either trolls or humans found them more than likely at least one of them would end up dead. He should probably be fighting to escape right now, after all, as matesprits or whatever they were, he was supposed to keep the other safe from harm, but his very presence was a definite danger. Also he couldn't seem to force himself to leave the comfort of the human's hold. Karkat supposed that it was just fate that he would be a horrible partner, even if his lover was an alien that belonged to a race that they were currently at war with.

They stood, waist deep in the dark water, chest to chest. John could feel the troll's heartbeat, and that simple pulse felt more real than anything else he had ever experienced. He pressed their foreheads together, his own blue eyes gazing deeply into the red ones. He felt like he might be able to find answers if he stared long enough and deep enough, but he found nothing. He sighed and his eyes slipped shut.  
He was trying to ignore the dark thoughts that were swirling around in his head, thoughts about how a relationship might go and about the repercussions if anyone were to find out. He knew that there were protesters of the war out there, but he wasn't so sure that they would be of any help. It was a possibility, he had friends within the group after all, but he didn't want to lean too heavily on the idea.  
It was funny. He had always relied too much on emotions and feelings, yet he had always been smart about it. He would never have been jumping straight to these sorts of thoughts simply over some sort of fling a few months earlier. Somehow, though, his thoughts were already focused on a future with a troll he couldn't communicate with and whose name he didn't even know. Now though... John couldn't imagine a future without him, in fact.  
John heaved another sigh, blowing air right into his companion's face. The troll made a noise that might have been a sneeze, and John giggled at the sound. He could think about that sort of stuff in a little while. They had a long while before the suns set, and before anyone would even begin to start looking for them. Besides that, no one knew their exact location. They had a few hours to figure things out.

Nose scrunching up and eyes narrowing he glared at the human, lifting a hand up to paw at the itch he suddenly felt on his face. But then he found his fingertips touching the edges of the blue eyes. When had he moved his hands? A deeper frown crossed his face as he realized something, there was... something missing, why? He had no fucking clue, but it was driving him nuts! But the human needed, had to have... His lips curled in frustration before drawing his hands back to his own face. Making small rectangles with his hands and framing his own red eyes before pointing at the human. Making the motion several times, he hoped to get the point across.  
A small sound came from Blue's lips, was it one of understanding, recognition? Karkat hoped so as the human reached behind them to a bag of his that been left by the pool. He could be pulling out a gun and Karkat still would not have fled from the spot. It was like he was deep under Vriska's mind control as the human pulled out a small box, flipping it open and pulling something out.  
Then there they were, stupid, rectangular, thick, black frame glasses perched on top of the alien's face and Karkat swore his blood pusher had stopped. A pain flared through his chest, and he felt a sting in his eyes, somehow.... somehow the stupid bulgelicker looked perfect and a short sob escaped his lips before he surged forward, forcing his lips against the human's as hands tangled tight in that thick, black hair.

There was one thought racing through the human's head, echoing like a chant. 'How did he know?'  
The kiss was desperate and hungry and wet with tears, and it was also too perfect for words. John hadn't worn his glasses for a long time, and the pressure against the bridge of his nose felt funny. They kept knocking into the troll's nose, the corners digging into John's face. Somehow, that was alright, though. It felt natural, to kiss like this, with sharp teeth at his lips and plastic at his eyes and claws digging into his back.  
He pulled the troll closer, the sound of heavy breathing and splashing water making a quiet cacophony. There was a word on the tip of his tongue. Something important. He pulled away, gasping, and he noticed the wetness on his face. He wasn't sure if it was the troll's tears or his own. He licked his lips, brow creasing with frustration.  
"Car..." he began, trying to remember. Cursing, he tried again. His eyes widened as he realized what it was he was trying to say- what he had already said. "Kar...kat?" He pursed his lips, uncertain. It seemed right, as he looked the troll over carefully. "Karkat!"

How did they each know so much about each other? At the same time, everything still seemed so empty inside of Karkat's thinkpan as he searched for any trace of the human in any of his memories. But it all came back frustratingly with nothing, all that seemed to work was when he was staring into the human's eyes through the layers of plastic. When his name came from the pink lips another hard shudder and ache ran through his body and he clung tighter to the larger body.  
Chittering and whining pathetically, Karkat tried to draw forth some kind of answer. Nuzzling his head hard against the side of other's head that it even hurt himself as he tried to make his mouth work, "Ja-Jyo-John." The beating in his chest was fluttering wildly and he was sure the human could not only feel it, but also hear it as Karkat felt dizzy, like he had eaten one of Gamzee's stupid pies and then asked Equius to spin him in circles as fast as he could.  
Almost growling out another single word, he tightened his grip to make sure he wasn't going to fall out of the human's lap as pale hands rubbed along his back, "Fuckass."

John laughed, long and loud. It felt like years of worries and uncertainties and loneliness had dissipated, just like that! His name on those lips, that silly made up word spoken in a rough voice, that was all that had been missing all these years. He hugged Karkat tight, enjoying how their bodies meshed together. Then he kept him at arm’s length, grinning widely, hands on his shoulders.  
"Okay, man. We've gotta figure out how to communicate! It's kind of imperative if we're going to make anything work out."  
He climbed from the pool, pulling the troll with him. Dripping wet, he grabbed a piece of his clothes and offered it to Karkat to dry himself with, then used another piece on himself. Going around the cave, he gathered up each individual piece of his armor, talking the whole time, mostly to himself. The troll watched him with narrowed red eyes. He didn't seem suspicious or worried, though. Just vaguely annoyed.  
John dumped his armful in a messy pile on the ground before sitting cross-legged across from Karkat.  
He dug in his bag and pulled out a piece of chalk. Holding it up so Karkat could see, he enunciated its name very clearly before putting it to the ground and beginning to draw.

Chalk, the human was drawing something on the cave floor. Idiot, they would have to remember to wash this all away before either of them left. It was sickeningly adorable the way that the human’s tongue stuck out between his teeth as he worked on whatever abomination he was trying to create. It seemed that John was wanting him to learn his language, seeing as he would say a word from time to time and then repeat it until Karkat made an attempt to mimic It, even if he didn’t get it exactly right the first five times. Fuck it, he was trying, Karkat doubted that the human even had the physical ability to create the growls, clicks, and trills that existed in Alternian. While trolls had to be fast learners to survive it was still a frustratingly slow process.  
Honestly, Karkat could never claim that he had a perfect attention span, so as the human continued to work, he got to his feet, gathering up his clothing and packs, redressing in a new uniform and re-wrapping the gash on his knee, seemed that it was starting to seal together slightly now, blinking when he felt John’s hands gently thumbing over the jagged wound. The sad, guilty look that crossed the human’s face made Karkat’s blood pusher ache, a quick click made John look up and Karkat caught his lips in a small quick kiss before pushing him away so he could continue wrapped the wound.  
A sound caught his attention, and he started to shift through his bags to find the source of the low pulsing sound coming from the bottom, frowning in thought as he looked at the communicator. One click of the button and he would once again be in contact with other trolls. They were trying to contact him now, find out if he was still alive. He would decide what to do later. Instead he set the device away and settled back down next to John as he seemed to have finished his drawing. 

Oblivious to the decision that Karkat had yet to make, John put the finishing touches on his project.  
"There we go!" he exclaimed happily, grinning up at the troll. "I know we can't go anywhere just yet, but when the sun sets, I know of a place that harbors humans and trolls. They're kind of peaceful protesters. From what my friend has told me, they're a pretty small group, so people leave them alone for the most part." he pointed to a picture of a roughly house-shaped building, with two stick figures in front of it. They were holding hands and smiling, one with horns and one without. He hoped that the basic message was getting through. "We'll be safe there, if you want."  
Karkat repeated 'Safe', the word harsh and foreign sounding on his tongue. John beamed and nodded enthusiastically, reaching forward to grasp the troll's hand. "Yeah, Karkat. Safe."  
He continued to explain his plan, pointing out various vague routes they could take to reach the haven without having to worry about being spotted or fighting off any enemies. He knew that the troll wasn't able to comprehend most of what he was saying, but talking aloud helped him to formulate his plans. Every time a word was repeated in that scratchy, muddled voice, John couldn't help but grin and encourage the troll. At the end of his long winded rant/explanation, John sat quietly for a moment, lost in thought and overrun with a sudden rush of uncertainty. He didn't want to put Karkat in danger, and this plan had the potential to be just that.  
After a pause, the human shook himself out of it. Smiling warmly, he wiped his chalky palms off on his pants and offered Karkat the worn-down piece. 

A safe place? Karkat chewed at his bottom lip, looking down at the huge trail that John had created. It seemed like an impossible journey. Seriously the idea of going so deep through both troll and human territory was insane, just.... impossible. It was just fucking impossible and the chance of survival was almost zero. Rubbing at his forehead, a low frustrated growl left his lips. John was always full of dreams and would refuse to give up. A determination that was almost frightening at times, but would drag you along with him if he thought that it was the best way, or the best chance for a 'happy ending' in all of those wriggler tales. That wasn't real life though. How he knew all of this he would never know, and it became another source of wild confusion in his think pan.  
Shaking his head, the hold on the chalk tightened and almost smashed it to dust. He made two forms, making it very obvious that the two were supposed to be them. Crossing out Karkat's form as he tried to make the human understand, "John, safe, John go." Shaking his head he pointed to himself, "Karkat.... Karkat stays." It would be easier for John to reach the safe place since it was close to human territory, and if he was returned to it with the help of his own kind it would be easy for John to get to safety.  
However Karkat couldn't just leave.

Karkat...stay? But the whole point of the entire plan was so that the two of them could escape together. He tried to copy the angry growls he had heard Karkat make before. Karkat eyed him curiously and John eyed him back.  
"You're such a douche!" John raged, pointing and waving his arms animatedly. "You're always trying to act like you're this big, self-sacrificing leader, and maybe you are, but where has that gotten you, huh? I know that you're miserable and lonely and you feel like something's been wrong and missing all your life!"  
He trailed off, breathing hard. Karkat was staring at him with wide eyes. The human licked his lips, staring down at his lap. "Listen, man. I know what that feels like, okay? And I think that maybe we're just starting to figure out what exactly is wrong with this world and what's missing from our lives. We need each other."  
He paused, reaching forward to cup Karkat's cheek. "But... If you want to leave, go ahead. If that'll keep you safe and happy, then I don't want to hold you back."  
He swallowed hard, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew that if they left right now, and never looked back, things could easily go back to normal at their separate bases. No one ever needed to know what had happened between them in the cave. However, John also knew that he was never going to be the same again. This had changed him in more ways than he could ever describe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again if you like this story, please comment, I'd love you hear your thoughts on it.  
> I have the next few chapters written out, I just need to actually edit them.


	6. Decide, No Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality is a bitch, making a decision is even harder when you can barley understand the other person.

A hard shudder rolled down his spine as he heard the human raging and shouting in obvious frustration and disbelief that Karkat was trying to say that he wasn't going to go with him. That he was just going to give up on the thing that made him feel so complete, safe, and actually happy. A growl came from his own throat as he just wanted John to understand that Karkat could not just suddenly abandon the other trolls, to leave his friends to be shot down by the obviously more powerful and more technologically advanced aliens that had invaded his own home without any foreseen reason.  
Even if they couldn't understand each other’s words, they seemed to be getting their ideas across with chalk, gestures, yelling, and picture drawing. Oddly enough even looking into each other's eyes seemed to work well enough. He drew another picture, showing all of his troops and then himself with them, still making an arrow for John to go to the safe place. Looking downwards with a small sigh, Karkat wasn't planning on leaving the war for his own happiness, not when there were still so many lives on the line. The other generals had executed their own troops for smaller offenses than right out treason that was filling a pail with their enemies. But... he had a feeling John wasn't about to let him go and kill more humans.

Frowning at the picture, John ran his hand through his still-damp hair. He let out a quiet, frustrated sigh. He understood that Karkat couldn't just abandon the troops, but didn't they have a commanding officer or something? Thinking back to the battles, it suddenly hit John that Karkat WAS the commanding officer.  
The human sighed and readjusted himself. He had always had the ambition and desire to become a higher ranking officer, and because of that he himself had risen through the ranks rapidly. However, he had no doubt that there were more capable and less-compromised people out there who could take over, were he to suddenly disappear. It would seem that trolls were different, though. He sat back on his heels, staring thoughtfully at Karkat. The troll made an odd chirping noise, and John thought that it sounded just a bit like an apology.  
"Listen, I can't force you to do anything. But I also can't just go back to the life I had before this." He shook his head in wonder. "I really don't know how you can. I guess maybe I'm just weak. But I don't think I could go back to waging war on a species that's basically the same as us." he gestured vaguely towards himself, shaking his head. Looking the troll straight in the eye, John asked "What are you going to do?"

From what he gathered it was obvious that the human didn’t want Karkat to return to the battle field and it seemed that John was reluctant to return himself. The expression of betrayal, hurt, and confusion of the other’s face though, it just fucking felt like being stabbed through the chest by Terezi’s cane blade. He smacked his hand back down to his side before he could stupidly check to see if there was a physical wound on his body instead of just the pain inside. Red eyes met blue as he spoke, hoping that the meaning would get across at least slightly, “I can’t just pick up my hive or some shit and pretend that invaders are not trying to take over my planet. My friends’ lives are on the line and trolls are being slaughtered for no fucking good reason. I don’t know why you bulgemunchers decided to attack us, but we WILL end this fight. I’m sorry, really I am, John, but I clawed and fought my way up to the position I am in now. I should have been culled ages ago. I’m not about to just turn away from the people that believed I could be more than a rotting corpse on the culling fields.”  
Even with all of the frustration and anger in his tone, it was obvious that it was not really meant towards John as he nuzzled and leaned into the hand cupping his face. Somewhere in his heart, Karkat knew that John wasn’t going to let him go. Somewhere beating inside of his thinkpan and scattered thoughts and fuzzy not-quite memories, there was a screaming that if he didn’t flee now John would act on what he thought was best for Karkat. Pushy, goody, sweet, aggravating creature he was, John was mostly likely going to force Karkat to come with him… perhaps by any means necessary. He should be trying to get away, but he didn’t want to leave the simple warmth of the alien hand on his skin.  
Red eyes snapped towards the side as he heard a ringing sound coming from the pile of John’s armor, were his own troops trying to contact him?

Glancing towards the source of the noise, John bit down on his lower lip. He recognized the sound well enough; It was the tone set for his second in command -and incidentally John's best pal- Major David Strider. He waited for the ringing to stop before he flashed a smile at Karkat and reached for the device. Turning it on, he winced in the sudden flood of overly bright light. The little screen informed him that he had one new message. Clicking a small button, a low voice filtered out of the device. He listened to the message, frowning at the worry that he had apparently caused. Quickly, he typed out a response.  
"I'm fine. I wondered off in pursuit of a suspected danger and didn't notice what time it was. I got trapped in by the sun. I'm safe and will be back by sundown."  
He finished and glanced up to see Karkat watching him intently. He offered the troll a bucktoothed grin, hoping that it would reassure him. "Don't worry. I'm just telling him that I'm safe." He leaned forward to push a lock of hair out of Karkat's face.  
Sighing, John wondered what to do. Under no circumstances did he want Karkat back out on the field. However, he was also well aware that he couldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do. Trolls, as a rule, were stronger, heavier, much more dangerous, and had far more natural weapons than any human. Something told John that Karkat in particular was much angrier and louder than most other trolls. The thought made him smile fondly, although he had no real proof to back it up with.  
Sighing deeply, the human settled back on his heels, arms resting atop his knees. He felt at a loss. 

That voice, deep and drawling, it made a whole body twitch run down Karkat's spine. Eyes narrowing as his mind was suddenly filled with emotions that had no reason to be there at the moment; annoyance, anger, and the need to chew on something cloth. It was strange and it made the troll shift on his knees in discomfort. Why was another human voice triggering him? He had heard more than enough gasps behind cracked masks and dying screams of other humans, but these two, John and whoever was on the other end of that communicator made his blood run hotter than he had thought even possible. He wanted to return to the cool pool to clear his head, but the expression on John's face stilled him.  
Sighing he leaned forward to butt his head against the human's arm, trying to get a reaction that wasn't such a sullen face. "I'm sorry," he mumbled out against the soft pink skin. Both of them were at a standstill, if John physically raised a hand to keep him from leaving even if it was just by a grip around his arm, Karkat had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to get away because his body would say ‘no, this is your matesprit, be happy, you are still in heat, do you want to deal with it alone again in a several hours? Something actually cares about you, keep it you dumb fuckass.’

With a quiet huff of laughter, John ran his fingers through the troll's hair before pulling him closer. The troll gave off more heat than John, warming the human's skin. Butting the troll's forehead lightly in return, he wondered what would happen if he just disappeared from the military, never to return to base or see the friends he had managed to make. He felt a sinking feeling at the idea of never talking to Dave again. He had felt a strong pull to the man ever since he first heard his voice, even before he had laid eyes upon him.  
But the pull to Karkat was just as strong. He wound his arms tighter around the troll, wanting to reassure himself that they were both alive and well, here with one another. He didn't want to open his eyes to find that all of this was just a happy, confusing dream. There was a part of him that urged him to keep a tight hold on this little troll, and to never let him go. To protect and comfort him. However, he also knew deep down that Karkat was his equal- That he wasn't someone for John to simply protect like some sort of damsel in distress. John respected him far too much for anything like that, anyways.  
Briefly, his mind flashed to a pair of violet eyes and black lips, smiling vaguely at him. The owner had told him to come and seek her out when he was done with the fighting, and to "bring your...friends...along." He wondered how she had always seemed to know so much about everything, yet never enough to give a straight answer.  
Untangling himself from the warm body, he tilted Karkat's face upwards to meet his eyes. "Tell me what you want, Karkat."

What did he want? In his heart he wanted to actually follow through with what his instincts were screaming at him to do in the first place, even if it was with a member of a different species, stay with your matesprit. But there was also the loyalty to the rest of his kind; he didn't even know how many of the trolls from his platoon were even still alive. Many of them were so stupid that they didn't know how to get back to the main base without Karkat's instructions and directions over a communicator. He had his own friends to think about as well; how would Gamzee react to his disappearance? Probably go subjuggulator mad, though it would turn him into an even better weapon for the empire than he already was, now that he started to follow his ancestor's footsteps. The others would probably team up to try and find him. With Aradia, Nepeta, Sollux, and Equius on the team, Karkat honestly wondered if he could remain hidden.  
Sighing low, he lifted a hand to lay over the large one on his face, mumbling out softly, "What I want and what is right has never been things that sorted out well in concerning me. My record proves that in a million ways." A painful pulse ran down his abdomen, forcing him to bite into his lower lip to keep any sound from coming out. Fuck, fuck, it seemed that his body was making the decision for him, "We can try, but once this stupid season is over I can't make any promises that I'll be around. But honestly, I think both of us are going to die soon enough." He could rationalize this decision right? There would hardly be any real fighting from the troll side for a couple of weeks because of the season. Everyone would disappear into hiding as well as they could during the first few days at the very least after setting traps.

"We've survived this long, haven't we? We'll figure it out." John gave the troll an affectionate nuzzle, beaming with joy. "And you never know! Maybe we can bring some people along with us. A larger group has a better chance of survival, after all! Plus, I doubt we're the only ones that have been feeling like this-" here he gestured vaguely towards the air itself, as though the motion could symbolize the whole universe and everything it contained. "-is quite right."  
He pressed a kiss to the troll's nose and stood to find another piece of chalk. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging thoughtfully. With his back still to Karkat, he continued talking. "Do you think anyone might want to come along? I mean, not that I would mind having you all to myself! But I also know how hard it's going to be to just leave everyone behind."  
John let out a triumphant croon as he found a piece of red chalk, and returned to lay on his stomach by Karkat's side, sketching the vague outline of an eye on the cave floor. He hummed before laying the chalk down and rolling to rest his head upon Karkat's lap, smiling up at the troll.

It took a few seconds and more efforts for John to get his question across, bring more trolls? Not a chance. Terezi would try to cull him for being a traitor, Eqiuis, Vriska, Tavros, and Aradia would probably test him for mind control, while Eridan, Sollux, Gamzee, and Nepeta would probably vote for locking him up until he stopped acting so crazy. None of them wanted to lose another friend after Kanaya went missing after the first few raids by the humans. Vriska claimed that it was probably because the humans were collecting samples of the local wildlife and a rainbow drinker was definitely on the list of most valuable and interesting. It was a comment meant to dig into the fears and annoyances of the rest of their group, but Karkat had been able to see the nervous twitches of her robotic arm and eye, the cobalt blood was just as worried for the jade as the rest of them. Maybe John actually had information about her whereabouts, or if she was even alive anymore. The thought made his tongue go dry and throat swallow hard. He had finished crying over her months ago, but now the pain may be back all over again. Stupid crotchblistering hormones.  
Shaking his head softly, he tried to force a smile back on his face as the human gazed back up at him expectantly, his face really wasn't used to making this expression. Claws gently carded through the other's hair as a small rumble escaped his throat. His hand moved quickly to hide any of the pinkish tears that tried to escape. John didn't need to see him acting like a wriggler when it seemed like they had reached a stable agreement. 

John frowned a little, noticing the pained expression on Karkat's face. He didn't know what it was about, and something told him not to ask. Not right now.  
"We can set out as soon as the sun starts to set, I think," he paused, bringing up a hand to readjust his glasses, "Unless you need to get something from your base? Or leave some sort of a message or something, that is. Do you have electronic communication? I thought you did, but I'm admittedly not really too well versed on basic troll technology and lifestyles." He laughed sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood some.  
Sitting up and grabbing his communication device, he scrolled through the names on the screen, stopping at one that was labeled simply 'TT'. He wondered if he should let her know that she would soon have two new visitors. John decided he would let her know a little later, when they were closer and not in range of the base. He wasn't sure how closely the messages of soldiers were monitored.  
Guilt gnawed at his stomach when he thought of Dave, back at the base and wondering where his friend had disappeared to. John resolved to send him a message about his basic location and the state of his health (safe, alive, happy) once he and Karkat were home-free.  
Checking the little clock that was installed in his device, John sighed when he realized that there were still a few hours until sundown. He wondered if they should try getting some sleep, but the human knew he wouldn't be able to fall into the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness any time soon. He was far too used to pulling all-nighters by now. It was sort of a consequence of his position. 

A quick drawing of a setting sun and two figures made Karkat nod softly, forcing himself back to his feet, ignoring the complaints of the human that was obviously trying to make him be his pillow again. Rolling his eyes, he gave a halfhearted sneer before motioning John to follow. Might as well explore the cavern for supplies if they were stuck here for a while longer. He didn't bother waiting for the human to catch up, after all the bulky armor was as much of an aggravation as an eye sore to the troll. The tunnel was dark and cool, a barely felt breeze from time to time slid across his skin as he pressed onward, vision perfect in the darkness while it sounded like John was a drunken muscle beast as he stumbled after him. It didn't surprise him when John's hand firmly wrapped around his own as they continued on.  
It took a few minutes but they finally pressed into the main cavern, making Karkat wonder just how long ago this brooding cave was abandoned as he looked at the skeletal remains of a mothergrub in the center. Slowly Karkat edged towards it, frowning as he knew most mothergrubs were buried when they died, one of the few creatures that got such an honor. This must have been abandoned in a hurry with the belief that it couldn't be saved in time.  
Looking around the walls he saw little pockets carved into them, places for supplies, most of them looked filled. Maybe they were lucky, though everything else was pointing to something that made his skin crawl.

Squinting into the darkness and feeling the warm hand clasping tightly around his own, slick with nervous sweat, John couldn't help feeling uneasy. Wishing that he could see as well as a troll in the darkness, he waited for his eyes to adjust in the hopes that he might be able to see some without having to put his helmet back on. As nice as the night vision would be, he really didn't want to be in full-armor mode while he was around Karkat. Just barely, he could make out a dim white something. With a sigh of defeat, he fumbled blindly until his fingers found the helmet's straps and slid it on, not bothering to fasten it.  
With a low hum, the night vision came on, and the darkened chamber came into view, clear as Earth-daylight with just a tint of green. When the human noticed the enormous figure in the middle of the cave, he nearly jumped out of his skin. When John realized that it was just a big skeleton of some sort, he chided himself for reacting like some little kid. Karkat squeezed his hand again, trying to calm him down. John took a deep breath, and the dank air of the cavern filtered through the mask and left the heavy taste of copper on his tongue.  
John swallowed, lips pursing. He surveyed the cave, eyeing the dark holes in the walls suspiciously. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of things might come crawling out of them.  
"What is this place?" he whispered aloud, wincing when his voice echoed through the chamber. The whole place gave him a bad feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I really do enjoy comments, I'm not sure how often I will update from the next update on since I may be writing the story on my own for a bit.


	7. We just What?

A pull on the other's hand made John stick closer as Karkat shifted through each of the little pockets in the wall, cataloging any blankets, bandages, non-expired food, and any thing else he saw as useful into his deck. But every flicker in the shadows made him snap his head in the direction only to discover nothing. He wanted to get out of this area as much as John and his skin felt like it would crawl to safety with or without him soon enough. Swallowing hard he mumbled out, "Other lusi never bother mothergrubs, the jade bloods protect the mothergrub with their lives from most threats. So what could have made it die? It doesn't look that old." Shivering he hurried towards the exit.  
Looking back he knew he couldn't just leave. Sighing low he shook his hand free from the protesting human to approach the skeleton. He could at least bury the head right? Give her some kind of final rest. Picking up the skull he saw something that made his everything that was slick and slimy inside of his chest twist and leap upwards. Barely having time to drop the skull and stumble far enough away before letting the contents of his nutrition sack meet the cave floor. Bullet holes. Fucking humans had been here and murdered a mothergrub. A quick glance at the rib bones he noticed the charred marks of laser weapons. He couldn't believe it. Was the humans’ goal to wipe them out completely?

"Karkat, what's wrong?" John demanded, rushing forward to see if he had somehow been hurt. He couldn't find any visible wounds, and when he tried to rub the troll's back he was swatted away. With a concerned look towards Karkat, John made his way towards the skeleton. Kneeling down beside the skull, he felt his stomach drop.  
Oh. That would definitely explain the troll's reaction. It was obvious that whatever this thing was, it was very important to Karkat, and probably to the troll race in general. John wondered when it had been killed, and by whom? Judging by the state it was in, and the size of the bullet holes, he would guess that it was one of the early waves of invaders.  
Placing the skull gently back onto the cave floor, he asked again, "What is this place?"  
When he didn't get a response, he walked back over to the troll, rubbing his back to try and comfort him. He ignored the clawed hands that were pushing him away. He knew that Karkat was upset, but also that he would need the comfort. "C'mon. Let's get out of here." He tugged gently. "We can come back later and gather the supplies and do...whatever it is you were going to do for it. Okay?"

A low growl came from the troll's lips as he tried to escape John’s hold, but nothing seemed to work as he was half-dragged out of the cavern, the dumbfuck he was, John was pulling him out of the wrong tunnel. Instead of going back to where they came from, John had led them to the trial caverns. Looking down at the floor he knew there was no way that John wouldn't figure out what this place was any longer. There on the floor were the skeletons of little grubs that had failed the trials, or just tried to escape the humans' attack. The little horns still attacked firmly to their skulls and Karkat caught the glimpse of what was probably the body of one of the jade bloods against the wall before everything went dark.  
An indignant snarl came from his mouth as he realized that John was trying to cover his eyes! What the fuck did the other think he was, some wriggler? One hard jerk and Karkat stumbled free. Sending a glowing red glare at the human, the look clearing saying something along the lines of 'understand now?'. Shaking his head he wondered if maybe this was the cavern that he himself emerged from long ago. At the end of this tunnel there may even be a wandering lusus hoping for a grub to adopt.

John was shaking a little. Well, more than a little. The skeletons that littered the ground were all so...little. They were just babies. He had heard about these kinds of caves, of course, but very few living humans had ever been inside of one. He wanted to cover his own eyes, to hide away from the horrors that had occurred here. He couldn't though. This was his responsibility, the human race's fault. He knew that there was no way he could ever hide away or forget such a thing. He didn't want Karkat to see this, but he stopped trying to shield him when the troll gave him a look that very clearly told him to stop.  
Swallowing hard and carefully avoiding the little bones, John kept his eyes trained intently on the ground. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and take Karkat's hand, but the red-blooded troll was too upset, and John didn't want to agitate him any further. Not that he could blame him. John's race had been the one to do these awful things, after all.

"Should we go back? Or can we get out this way?" John wondered aloud, reaching out a hand to run it along the damp cave walls. He noted that one of the little baby skeletons had the same horns as Karkat, and he felt sick to his stomach. "I guess we need to get supplies, either way. Is this on the north end of the cave? Because if so, we could probably exit this way and cut our travel time down by a couple minutes..." He hummed, trying to figure out which direction they were facing. After a moment, he shrugged, giving up. He had never been too good with that kind of thing. Opting instead to fall into step a little bit behind the troll, fingers outstretched to hover just a breadth away from Karkat's back, he figured that the troll would have some sort of an idea how to get out. He seemed to know what to do, anyways, walking with a huffy but confident air. Every one of his angry, stomping steps echoed back to them and John was certain they would hear the cracking of frail little bones any second. Somehow, Karkat never crushed a single one. 

Looking along the walls, Karkat moved along the cavern, searching for… ah there is was. A small latch that was a part of a door that blended in with the rest of the cave wall. This had been used by the jade bloods to gather the bodies of the wrigglers that had failed the trials, while remaining hidden and not in contact with the grubs that were still continuing their journey to the outside world and to hopefully a lusus. From the very beginning trolls were forced to become fighters in the harsh environment of Alternia. Weeding out the weak and damaged was rather merciful in a troll’s mind. But these grubs, they never got the chance to even prove themselves as his sharp eyes picked out small pocket holes in the floor and walls that told the tale that the humans absolutely slaughtered each and every one of them. Small burn makes on previously white bones, it made his nutrition sack twist and turn once again. He had to get out of here.  
Holding firm to the latch he twisted it and pushed hard, wincing as the metal screamed in protest to being moved after so long. Stepping into a new tunnel that held much fresher air and had a relieving absence of bodies, Karkat moved down the winding paths, gathering scattered items as he went, chittering softly in excitement when he realized that he found a few unopened, unspoiled packets of sopor. He hadn’t slept in slime since the war began.  
After a few more minutes of searching Karkat managed to lead them back to the room with the pool, sighing in relief as he settled at the edge to soak his feet. Picking up a small pieces of chalk by him he started to draw a few more pictures, trying in desperate hope that John could give the answer that had been on the mind of every troll since the beginning of the attack. What did the humans want? Why did they attack? If the trolls were defeated what would happen to them, would they be wiped out of existence completely or did humans have plans for the Alternian race?

The scribbles on the floor captured John's attention, blood turning cold. He chewed his bottom lip, wondering how to answer the posed question. To be honest, he didn't know the absolute end-goal. He had joined because it was a war, and the human race had been called to arms. It was a sense of responsibility that he had refused to turn away from, but at the same time...he had been drawn to the idea. He had seen the images of Alternia and its grey-skinned inhabitants playing on the television, and he had decided then and there that he would go there some day.  
Sighing, he took the chalk from the troll. He drew slowly, focusing more on the connecting lines than the pictures they actually made. As he drew, he murmured explanations, almost under his breath, knowing that Karkat wouldn't understand. "I don't know what the original plan was. Exploration is what we're told, but I don't think that that is strictly true." he paused, wincing at the voiced suspicions. That could get him in trouble back at the base. "Now, though.... I think they're looking for something. The higher-ups want to know more about your species and how it is that you are all so strong. I think that they want to experiment, but maybe they also just want to take over." he sighed.  
It bothered him. John didn't know why they were still fighting. He had seen that the trolls were trying to defend their homes. None of the raids on human camps or brutal murders he had heard about before enlisting were true. 

It seemed that John didn't have the answers either, a frustrating final defeat for Karkat as he knew he was leaving the war for a time without offering one last thing that could help his species fight back or at least defend themselves. However, fear was still gnawing at his nutrition sack and he took the chalk back, rolling his eyes as he felt John press himself against his shoulder to remain as close as possible. Clingy, but he didn't mind it as he turned his head to lightly knock against the forehead of the human as he continued to work. There was something important that he hoped to get across to John, help him maybe understand the physical needs of the partner that he had gotten.  
He had drawn four scenes with trolls inside of each, each of them showing the different season of alternia, summer, winter, spring, and fall which it was currently. In this picture he showed all of the trolls holding hands in pairs or trios. At the blank look he got from John he forced himself to draw buckets... Again stupid blank look of stupid was on the dork's face.  
Damn this was just utterly wrong he drew some crude figures fucking and then drew a circle around the whole picture with big arrows. How hard was it to tell someone that it was mating season for trolls?

It took a few tries, but understanding eventually dawned.  
"Oh." Blue eyes widened, almost comically. "Oh! That makes sense, actually." John nodded. He'd heard rumors, of course, but he'd laughed off any ideas of a mating season of any sorts. Well. It looked like he owed Dave twenty dollars. One thing was bothering him, though.... Snatching the chalk back, he drew a big question mark pointing towards the buckets. Karkat went bright red. At the crudely drawn response, John did, too.  
"That's weird, man." he laughed, suddenly awkward. "What exactly does that even entail? I mean, for you and me?"  
He had never had a partner that had a mating season before, of course. Somehow, though, he managed to not freak out about the whole ordeal. In fact, he thought it was kind of interesting! It didn't seem weird at all, once he thought about it. "Does that mean that you're only interested in me for the time being?" he questioned, pouting playfully but feeling a growing sense of dread at the idea. Would Karkat just...leave, once the season was over?

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Karkat tried to understand the questions that John was trying to ask. He did get one meaning though, 'what did mating season mean'. The only answer he could think of to the question and to get rid of that unsure expression on the bucktoothed face. Grasping the sides of the human's head he dragged him closer for a kiss. But as their lips met, Karkat made a confused sound, it seemed like John was trying to pull away from him, rewarding the idiot with a nip to the lips before being pushed off.

The expression on John's face was serious, and he was saying something that Karkat guessed meant that he wasn't allowing the change in subject. Grey lips turned down, it seemed like John was able to see right through him in concerning his plans for the future. But he really didn't want to face it, instead he kept his hands busy. Reaching for his own bag and pulling out a hand's free communicator that hooked around his ear and then around his neck, blinking as he noticed the small pad of it said that there was an update available to install from Sollux. Shrugging he let it upload before slipping it on, while he might not be sending orders he could still listen in if he decided to.  
Mumbling to himself, he stared at the floor, "I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do when the season ends. All I know is that I don't want to leave you, but you're also asking for the impossible, to stand away from the fact that my people are being murdered for no reason. John, dammit, this shouldn't have happened, we are supposed to be enemies, but for some reason... I feel like," Karkat trailed off with a deep sigh before looking at John, freezing at the expression on the human's face, it was like he could... understand him?!

For a brief second, John wondered if he was going crazy. Had he just heard a troll speak English? Mouth gaping and eyes wide, he stared in awe at the troll. "Did you just...?"  
And the look on Karkat's face answered his question. "You can understand me? I can understand you!" John laughed, hands clamped over his mouth. "Oh my God! This is absolutely amazing!" Karkat opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say something. Before he could get the words out, though, something dawned on John. "Hey, wait. What do you mean, 'I don't know what I'm going to do when the season ends'"? he mimicked Karkat's voice in a shrill growl. The troll scowled at the imitation, but didn't respond immediately. John continued. "We'll still be together, safe and sound, at the end of the season. I know what you mean about leaving your people, but isn't the answer to that obvious?"  
He took both of Karkat's hands in his own, squeezing them. Shifting to lean closer, almost nose to nose with the troll, John was nearly bouncing with excitement. "It's so simple." he whispered, voice pitched a bit higher than normal. "We just stop the war!"  
Karkat's mouth dropped open. John could practically see the vulgar words already building between the sharp teeth, so instead he pressed a quick kiss to his mouth, avoiding said sharp kiss preventers. He wondered if Karkat might bite him. He certainly looked enraged enough to.  
The human was on his feet in a flash, already talking over the insults that Karkat was spewing. Some of them were really quite creative. John was impressed. "No, listen to me! You said it yourself, didn't you? You and I should have killed each other hours ago, yet here we are! And there are small places popping up all over Alternia and Earth that are lobbying for peace between our species! What if we could figure out a way to get it across to people that we don't have to fight? I mean, we're both in charge of troops. We have friends who will listen to us!"  
John was practically panting with excitement, blue eyes glowing brighter. 

"You're insane," that was the first thing that came from Karkat's lips as the silence stretched between them for a few more seconds. Getting to his own feet, he tried to reason with the excited human. "You need to LISTEN to me for one bulgemunching second. While this might be a difficult task for you, think back to all of the battles with trolls you have been through or seen." There was a wince from the taller male and it was obvious that neither of their hands was free from the stain of blood from the other's kind, "How many times did you see bright fucking red come from trolls?" Again silence, a confused look the only answer on John's face.  
"Okay let me spell it out to you, I. AM. A. MUTANT. I should have been culled when I was hatched, but the universe for some reason decided to spare me for whatever shit I have to go through next, or maybe dealing with you if enough punishment for my existence against nature. I am only alive today because I do have connections with highblood trolls, but if I go running to them suddenly declaring that my matesprit is one of the invaders and that we should be peaceful with the aliens that are currently DESTORYING us, oh yeah, that would go over perfectly well. No, I would be locked up before you could say Gl'bgolyb."  
If he brought the human within the sight of his troops he wondered if he could even control them. Seriously, 'We just stop the war'? Karkat had pailed with a lunatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure when the next update will be, hopefully soon. I love hearing from you all and what you think, so please do comment so my co-writer and I can keep being inspired.


	8. Push, Scream, and Who is What?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't some unrealistic have sex, everything is great, happy ever after or instant happiness. No, John and Karkat are two warring species and different opinions on what is right or wrong. Such strong personalities, can they get through this?

That certainly gave John pause. He hummed thoughtfully, eyes focused somewhere in the distance, on something only he could see. Well, the fact that there were mutant trolls was certainly news to him. He had been aware of the whole silly "blood-caste" thing, but a mutant.... Well. Who would've guessed? The human wondered if the whole "mutant" thing had any weird side effects when a couple was dealing with -what had Karkat called it?- pailing. He shook his head abruptly, trying to focus on the real issue.  
He went through various scenarios in his head, wondering how they could possibly get around this latest roadblock. If they both disappeared without a word, most of their comrades and superiors would likely assume they had been killed in action, or by some manner of beast, or maybe even just getting caught out in the sun and ending up wandering aimlessly off a cliff. No, that wouldn't work. Search parties would come looking for their bodies. And a staged kidnapping wouldn't do any good either. It would only drive their subordinates to search more desperately, recklessly, and dangerously.  
A frown creased his face as the human realized that he couldn't think of a way out that involved them both leaving together.  
"Alright. You're right, man. We can't just leave. But I refuse to go anywhere without you!" he exclaimed stubbornly, watching Karkat's red eyes narrow then widen.

This alien was throwing total devotion his way, making promises that rang inside his thinkpan, and rattled his senses. It almost felt like he was floating away into the sky, on the very level of the moons, but at the same time he was sinking like he had a whole battleship tied around his waist and thrown into the ocean, drowning fast and his air sacks burned with agony. This wasn't fair. This wasn't supposed to be so hard or confusing. The universe just seemed to be content with fucking up both of their lives again and again. How many times had that thought gone through his mind just in this past day? Karkat was unsure of how to even tell John just how deeply embedded he was inside of the political elements of Alternia. It was probably best not to, as he was unsure of where John was in his own ladder. It was important, but dammit he did not want it to be. Most likely it would have to be revealed sooner rather than later.  
He turned his head to the side in thought. He knew they were stuck until nightfall and if they didn't move fast as soon as that harsh heat disappeared, they would be discovered. Another crackle inside his ear stated that his soldiers were trying to contact him even now.  
"John," a shudder rolled both of their central support bone stalks as the name left his lips. He swallowed hard as he knew he was practically declaring himself a traitor, almost feeling the blade beheading him already with the strength that Equius had in just his littlest finger. "We, the trolls…This is our mating season. We aren't going to be doing these battles for at least a month, there will be traps to protect ourselves, but we are going to try and hide once we have as many of us accounted for as possible. There has even been talk of," Oh gog he was going to tell their place of sanctuary, maybe he should off himself instead of waiting for retribution, "retreating into the depths of the ocean."

John stared, uncomprehending, for a brief moment. His mouth moved, but no words escaped his lips. Snapping his mouth shut, he took a deep and steadying breath. "The ocean? As in...all that water? On a submarine? Or do you all have gills you didn't tell me about?" He forced out a shaky laugh, but it sounded hollow even to his own ears. He knew that Karkat didn't have gills, at least. He'd explored every inch of the troll's body, and he figured he would've noticed something like that. He forced himself to breathe, but his mind was whirling with questions. He took a step forward, trailing his fingertips over Karkat's hip.  
"What would that mean for you and me? We're...mates now, right?" His voice held a sudden tone of nervous uncertainty, like he was afraid that Karkat would push him away and spit at his feet. Instead, the troll nuzzled his neck affectionately before pushing against the human's chest. John laughed, a goofy smile back in place upon his lips. And that's when it hit him.  
Blue eyes grew enormous, full of shock and wonder. "You do realize what you just told me, right?" John shook his head, pulling Karkat close again and burying his face in the dark hair. "Do you really trust me that much?" 

"We have an underwater structure for those who do not have the ability to breath in that salty brine that smells like fish puke. All hail the glorious smell of wet troll and whale belches." A slow breath escaped him as he pressed his lips briefly against the throat that would be oh-so-easy to rip out with a quick nip of his teeth, "You are my matesprit. I don't know what romance means in your culture, but to us this is one of the few people that you trust your entire life with. We will sacrifice ourselves to save them and no secrets really exist. There are only three people any troll will trust at any time." He tried to explain this, though the startled and concerned expression on John's face made his nutrition sack twist again. Burying his face further into the pink skinned neck, he muttered softly, "I would hope that you trust me as well. I'm giving you my life, and the lives of some many others of my kind. Even if you do not wish to honor this trust for our connection, I hope that you have the morality to not murder so many in cold blood, though your kind has proved themselves more than willing to."  
Fuck maybe he shouldn't have said as much as he had. Going slightly rigid in the other's hold, talking so badly about John's race, did he have the right? Was it part of their culture to punish their loves for such things? In kismessitude, it certainly was. Somehow though, he really trusted John to not reveal them, even if what transpired here didn't go nearly as far as it did.

The words stung. John wanted to hold Karkat closer, to assure him that even a silly human like himself could feel love for a troll, that he could devote himself to Karkat, and thus trust his life and his secrets to him. Hadn't he already done that, a thousand times over?  
But no. He hadn't. There hadn't been time to do that yet. How strange, that it felt like he already had. So instead, he bared his throat to the troll, knowing instinctively what that signified. Then he tilted his head to give a kiss to each of the nubby horns, pausing to marvel at the texture and colors beneath his lips, then pressed his mouth to Karkat's forehead.  
"I can't speak for my kind," he murmured, and he regretted how weak he sounded as he said it. "But I can speak for myself. And I swear to you that I will not betray your secret. I can't condone an attack while a whole species is crippled by something," he smiled, and it was a bitter expression, "Even if others can."  
The human took a step backwards, eyes traveling slowly over Karkat's body before meeting his eyes. John offered a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm obviously not as highly ranked as you are, my nubby horned companion. I'm in charge of a lot, but government secrets aren't one of them." He scrubbed sheepishly at his hair, grimacing. "I feel like I should try to return the favor or something; give you something to even the playing field. But I can't. I don't have that kind of info." 

"I honestly didn't expect you to," Karkat answered softly, already missing the source of heat that John had provided for him, but maybe it was best not to be in such close contact now with this talk. "I feel that asking you how to un-clip or weak points in your armor would be treading on thin frozen water crystal sheets." Looking at the slightly sick look John had taken, Karkat let out a small huff, muttering softly, "I assure you the numbers we’ve lost is at least four times the amount that you have." Slowly he sunk down to sit down by the pool, picking up his sickles to store them away and looking towards the gun and knives on the belt that John wore around his waist.  
"Your kind...has confused us so much. We used to be the strongest race for planets around, though we haven't taken over new worlds in several dozen sweeps. We were no longer ready to fight a war. But we are getting prepared to once again." Looking up at blue eyes he made a small move, hoping John was still comfortable enough to sit by him again, "I'm sorry, but I felt that this would be good to get out of the way, to understand each other even if you don't have much to offer in return, or don't want to. It's fuckin’ up to you, I can't make you do anything. But those old battle ships, they'll be coming back.”

John clenched his jaw, blue eyes turning steely. "So your kind has been peaceful for a long time, and thanks to humans you all might end up pulling out all the stops, huh? Do you think you'll go back to taking over surrounding planets again?" He took a deep breath. "Unbelievable. You know, they never really gave us a straight answer at the academy about what started this war in the first place." He was pacing now, hands running through his hair, making the dark strands stick out in odd tufts. The sight might have been amusing under different circumstances. Now, though, it was mostly just stressful. He was muttering. "Well, we can't let either of our races resort to that. I mean, humans are already fucking shit up enough as it is. I really don't see how letting us continue advancing is really going to do anyone any good. And your species taking over all the surrounding planets doesn't exactly sound like the best of plans either." He met Karkat's eyes. "Did they ever tell you exactly how this whole ridiculous thing got started?"

Fuck, well the truth seemed to be the best course of action, though he couldn't help to let out his own hiss of annoyance at the accusation, "Of course we will be fighting back at full force, your kind seems to like the idea of wiping us out!" Shoulders squaring as he swayed slightly, red eyes staying locked on the human's form as fury made his blood boil, moving much like a predator that didn't know whether to choose to be on the offensive or to be defensive. What did John have the right to be angry about!? Karkat was baring most of his soul to him and he was still acting like trolls were just some murdering, imperialistic, animalistic creatures, though there was some truth to it.  
Fingers cracked and claws scraped against the stone, actually leaving small white lines as he spoke, "The planets we control have only been used for food production lately. If you haven't noticed, Alternia isn't the most hospitable environment." Okay, so there were many original slave production sites used by earlier rulers, but that wasn't Feferi. She had changed so many things since her taking of the throne. Finally he shook his head as he focused on the ground in front of him, "I am... close friends with the empress. She tells only a set of eleven trolls and a few others about each move and everything that occurs all over our empire."  
Dammit, John had no right to even attempt to accuse his kind. "There was nothing we did, there is no recorded contact with your kind in any of our histories or territories, you fired on us. You sent a bomb that blew out two large cities, DON'T YOU THINK THAT THAT IS A GOOD REASON TO GO TO WAR YOU FUCKWHIFFING HIVE INVADING NOOKBITER?!"

Face red with rage and tears in the corners of his eyes as he forced himself back to his feet, wincing under the feeling of the wound in his knee acting up. He actually seemed to be attempting to return to the room with the mother grub. Fuck John. He needed space before he did something he regretted and flipped to black completely. This wasn’t how he ever imagined a lover. He wanted someone that understood him, didn’t blame him for things outside of his control, but John had revealed a side of himself that made fear roll inside of the troll’s body. What if this human really was just like the rest of his slaughtering kind?

John's mouth dropped open. He watched the troll's back as he walked away, uncertain if he should go after him or not. He reached out a hand, words forming on his tongue, before dropping it and staying silent. He waited a moment, until Karkat's form was barely even a dark smudge against the cave walls. He followed silently, trying to keep an eye on his mate. He didn't want to admit it, but he had seen that dangerous glint in the troll's eyes and he didn't want to test just how strong their bond was just yet. He'd give Karkat a little bit to cool off before he tried to mend things between them.  
They found themselves back in the chamber with the enormous skeleton. What had Karkat called it? The Mother Grub? Even the name made him uneasy and feeling guilty. Who would kill a mother? He frowned, standing at the cavern entrance, arms crossed almost protectively across his chest. Karkat was settled at the other side, hidden by shadows. His heavy breathing was echoed and magnified throughout the cavern. John winced, feeling awful that he had been the cause of each of those ragged, angry noises, not that his mind didn't stray momentarily to other ragged breaths that he'd caused earlier…  
A moment passed before John decided he needed to stop being such a baby and that he needed to try and talk with Karkat. He crossed the wide expanse between them, licking his lips as he approached and the troll turned angry eyes at him. He stood in front of him, suddenly nervous and jittery for a reason besides fear. What could he say to make this right?  
"Shoulder plates, connecting at the spine. The fissure in the helmet, just above the eyes. The joints at the elbows, knees, and thumbs." he spoke aloud, fingertips touching his own body to demonstrate each word. "Those are the weak parts of our armor." The human offered a weak, bucktoothed smile. He moved forward to gently take Karkat's hands, ignoring where the claws scraped at his flesh. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean it, okay? I know I can be a douchebag sometimes. I was just frustrated."

Slowly his lips fell from the snarl that had formed on his face the moment that John seemed to have grown the globes enough to actually approach him once more, instead of being that cowardly shadow. Honestly he didn't feel like he was unjustified in his reaction, but to John maybe he did seem slightly unreasonable with storming off. In his mind Karkat knew that there was going to be some kind of compromise between them. Giving up the weak points was rather impressive and with a breath Karkat forced himself back to his feet, nervousness now stirring his own internal workings as he muttered softly, "Do you think we’re too different to make this clusterfuck of a relationship actually work?" The tightening of the John's hand around his own seemed to answer his question. Swallowing softly as he nodded slightly, "Okay, I get it, we can try, but we have to try and understand each other." A weak smile was forced from him as he muttered, "I think we can come up with a plan."  
John couldn't help but think of the human-troll relationships he knew of personally. Which really only surmounted to a grand total of one, but that didn't matter! They were happy and flourishing, as far as interspecies relationships went. So why not him and Karkat?  
"Yeah. I think if we can figure this out, and figure each other out, things will turn out just fine." He knocked his forehead gently against Karkat's, grinning at how natural it felt, like he'd done it a hundred times before. A thought came to him, and he nearly facepalmed at how obvious it should have been.  
"Karkat! You should talk with her." He pulled out his phone, wincing at the sudden white light, scrolling through his contacts until he came to one labeled simply as "TT", it was too dangerous to list it as anything else.  
EB: hey! is your matewhatever there???  
EB: theres someone here i think she should talk to  
EB: :B  
He waited impatiently for the response, foot tapping against the stone floor. Finally, there was a reply, the faint lavender letters floating across his screen.  
"I don't know her name, but she and one of my friends ended up running off together. Very romantic." His tone was that of someone who was half-heartedly mocking words that someone else had intoned to them various times before, but he was grinning widely. "Here!" and he shoved the device into the troll's face, chuckling at the way he glared at it.

Somehow, Karkat managed to not drop the piece of alien technology, his claws scraping harshly against the soft metal as he listened to the dull thrumming sound it emitted with a few small beeps. Looking up he noticed that John was trying to get him to put the thing to his auricular sponge clots . Huffing softly in frustration to being forced to handle this idiotic communication device he followed the silent order. His bloodpusher stopped when he heard a soft voice coming from the other side, a simple, questioning hello that was too elegant, too smooth, too HER to come from anyone else. "Ka-Kanaya?!"  
This time he couldn't hold onto the communicator any longer. John somehow managed to catch the thing before it shattered to pieces on the floor. Karkat didn't really care as he stumbled back against the wall. She was alive, she was still fucking breathing, not rotting in the sun or in human hands to be on a lab table or a cell.  
Slowly he slid down into a sitting position, not caring that the wall was making his uniform filthy as his head spun. What had John said earlier? Kanaya was in a relationship with a human? She had run away with her? He was going to kill her! No he wasn't... But gog dammit if he didn't want to shake her and scream until the ceiling came down. She was alive! "She's alive..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well my friend and I are starting to write more. I'll be going to Japan mid September for a year so we'll see how much we can get out. COMMENTS INSPIRE US, please tell us what you think!


	9. Who, What are we?

"You alright?" John questioned, eyes wide as he fumbled with the device. The other troll's voice was still coming from it, calm and oddly accented, although sounding slightly more annoyed every moment. Directing his attention to the device he gave a quick "Just a sec."   
Closing his fist over the screen, he settled by Karkat's side, pressing against the troll. "Hey, what's the matter?" he murmured, trying to keep his voice soothing and calm. Karkat was shaking slightly, but John didn't call him out on it. "Do you not want to talk to her?"   
Karkat couldn't seem to decide if he was angry or shocked or happy, judging by the expressions flitting over his face, and John wasn't really sure what to do.

Lowering his head as he ran a hand through his hair as he whispered, "That voice... belongs to one of my friends from the very beginning of my wrigglerhood. She disappeared with the first waves, we were all sure that she was dead." His voice was trembling and he hated it, but there wasn't much he could do about it as he swallowed rapidly, trying to control his breathing and the situation at hand. Looking nervously at the device, he reached out for it again and spoke slowly, "You're alive I hear, you seemed to deem it fit to not leave us any clues that you apparently ran off with a human lover." A bitter chuckle leaving his lips as he muttered, "You are speaking to Head Threshecutioner Karkat Vantas, and the idiot that just pailed with a human named John Egbert. I seem to be following in your footsteps, Maryam."  
Ignoring the huff from the human by his side, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright? Are you... really happy wherever the fuck you have been hiding?" He wasn't accusing, just nervous, worried, curious, and confused about how he was supposed to feel with this newest revelation. "What even happened with you?"

She felt vaguely nauseous. "Karkat?" she questioned, miserable with how her voice came out breathy and strained. Kanaya cleared her throat, trying to steady herself. She had known that this day was coming, but did it really have to be this soon? A warm hand rested upon her shoulder, and she rested her own clawed fingers over it.   
"Hello, Karkat." her voice was steadier now, more confident. "I am alive, obviously, and quite well. I am sure, considering what I have been told about your own circumstances, you can guess where I am and what reasons I had for leaving."   
The jadeblooded troll felt a pang of guilt at the sputtering that met her statement. She tried to ignore it; She had made her peace with her decision long ago, after all. "My matesprit tells me that you have found yourself pailing with a human, and that perhaps the two of you will be joining us at our own base. How accurate is that information?"

John watched the play of emotions on Karkat's face, wondering if this had been a good idea after all.

Karkat huffed softly, though his mind was still reeling with just the fact that she was still alive. Holy fuck, how was he going to answer all of this? Might as well start from the beginning. He reached for the communicator collar piece around his neck and sent an apologetic look to John, but this conversation was a little personal, especially when this troll had been so very close to becoming his moirail on multiple occasions, if not for Gamzee's insanity along with his need for a stable shoosh papper. Pulling off the translator, it was a relief to hear himself speak like a proper troll again.  
He rapidly explained the circumstances of what was going on around Alternia, the reaction to her disappearance, how he had met John, and the discovery of the mother grub. He added the last part mostly because of his bitterness for Kanaya deciding to just leave without so much as a trace and abandoning the already empty brooding cavern she was last seen at. He was going to demand her own story, he was going to be grumpy and moody as hell until he did.  
Taking a slow breath he finally answered her question, "That's what John is wanting to do, I know I'll probably end up following him. However, we might be just a little fucking bit stuck on how exactly we are supposed to get there when both of our kinds are going to be searching for us. Also there's the little factor that being a traitor really doesn't sit well with me."

There was silence for a long time. John stood by, trying his best to look steady and confident despite his own uncertainties, confusion, and general lack of knowledge of the trolls' language. He offered a smile when Karkat glanced his way. The response came just as John was beginning to wonder if the troll on the other side of the line had hung up. Her voice was clipped and thoughtful. She sounded almost pissed, if John hadn't known any better. It reminded him a bit of Rose when she was being passive aggressive. 

"Do you think that being a so-called traitor sits well with me, Karkat?" Kanaya demanded, trying to keep her voice calm. Her matesprit was closer now, hovering. The jade blooded troll waved her away offhandedly, attention focused on the conversation and situation at hand. From the corner of her eye she caught the odd quirk of a smirk on black-painted lips before Rose retreated. Kanaya knew she'd be waiting to offer her own sort of support as soon as this call was over and things were sorted out. "I can assure you that I did not come to my decisions lightly."

John watched, worried when he saw the hurt on the troll's face. He wanted to go and give him a proper hug or maybe a quick pap (and where did that thought come from? Maybe Dave or Jade had said it once? He wasn't sure, though.), and make all the worry that Karkat was feeling just disappear. 

The mutant twitched as he knew that using the term was probably stepping over the thin lines of their collective patience and sanity. However, what was Karkat supposed to think of both himself and Kanaya? They both had practically slapped the rest of their kind across the face with pailing an invader. Shaking his head, he knew that the silence across the line really wasn't going to solve any of the problems or heal any egos. A slow breath escaped him as he knew so well that it would be difficult to try and get Kanaya to accept any sort of apology.   
So instead he just turned the conversation in a different direction, "Do you think that this can work between us, the human and me? From the way he spoke, I'm assuming that my matesprit and yours have some sort of human closeness. But if someone tries to explain whatever that entails I will gladly go stab my freshly polish sickles through my auricular sponge clots. ANYWAY, you know of this John character and I want your opinion on if you think that I can actually make this work."  
His bloodpusher hammered in his chest as he waited for an answer, even if his body and half of his thinkpan had already firmly decided that he was going to be following the bucktoothed human until the end of the season at the very least. So focused on the strange communicator, he jumped and let out an embarrassing chirp as Mr. Grabby decided to wrap a hand around a horn.

Kanaya hummed thoughtfully, turning to glance towards her matesprit. She'd heard stories about this John human, as well as a few others. However, she wasn't certain of every variable present in the situation. She licked her lips, tongue brushing over fangs as she did so. "No matter what I say, it will be up to you and John in the end," she began, starting to pace restlessly. "However, if you manage it, I can assure you that things here are...better. More peaceful and open. There are more interspecies couples than just the four of us, you know."   
There was a choked noise from the other end of the line, and it became clear that, no, Karkat had not been aware of that. Perhaps John hadn't known either. It was an interesting development. She and her human matesprit had been some of the first, yes, but there had always been a reassurance that they would not be alone in their supposed treachery, and that had brought a certain amount of comfort. Kanaya couldn't help the surge of pity- said pity being completely pale, of course- she felt for her friend. "Well, I believe you can do it, Karkat." 

Smacking the hand away from his head the troll tried to not let his head spin too much at the fact that yes, there were more out there just like them. How many had escaped from the war, after all, the trolls never retrieved the dead of their kind unless they held some kind of importance, such as Karkat fucking Vantas. There could be hundreds for all he knew, there were so many of their kind not accounted for after each battle. Desertion was not such an unrealistic answer, but the fate they would receive, and the fact that by doing such a thing, any protection and link to any mothergrubs would be blocked. Being caught again would hold a fate that would make that troll wish they had died in battle as they would be thrown for bullet fodder, though not before being tortured to hell and back.  
Finally he nodded, then stupidly remembering that Kanaya could not see him, answered softly, "Okay, I guess trying is all I can do now. However I don't think we are going to be seeing each other just yet. I need to make sure the rest of my troops made it back to the camp, and decide if I should attempt to gather supplies from them." He was being ripped from most of his kind, but John was in the same water traversing vessel as him, and being selfish was the last thing he wanted his matesprit to see him as.  
"I'm going to make him return to human camp at least so he can get his own goodbyes... whether he fucking wants to or not, I know he had some kind of connection with at least one of those people."

Kanaya listened to Karkat's words, nodding to herself. She felt a stirring in her bloodpusher, an odd mix of envy, guilt, and worry. She had never said her own goodbyes, but that had been her own fault. She felt like she should apologize to the mutant blooded troll now, ask for forgiveness she knew she had already been given. Or perhaps even ask a favor of him- a message relayed to old friends, a spark of hope that she wasn't dead after all, and that they may even see one another after this whole mess of a war was over and done with. But she knew that was impossible. Such a request would bring disaster upon her and her matesprit's heads. So she said instead "Be safe." Karkat grunted an affirmation, and she smiled fondly. For someone who is so articulate when he's on a tangent, Karkat doesn't seem very fond of actual words in other situations. 

John was back to touching Karkat. He could almost sense the annoyance that rolled off the troll, but he didn't want to stop. He wasn't sure he could, at this point. The whole situation felt so surreal, so much like a dream. The human wanted to make sure that they were both there, and real, and very much alive. He wondered if it would always feel like this.  
After a moment, and a few more exchanged clicks and churrs, the conversation between the trolls seemed over. John held out a hand for the communication device, wanting to talk with Rose again. She had given him cryptic hints about the group before, which had been fine then, but he wanted his answers a little straighter, now that it seemed he and Karkat were going to be a part of it all.

A slow breath slowly rolled out of the troll's lips as John's hand moved slowly over his shoulders, seeming to be determined to get out any twang of anger or frustration buried deep into his bones since he was hatched. None the less the feeling was welcomed, reluctant as he was. He turned the makeshift translator back on as John tapped away on his communication device with one hand. A small huff left his lips as he realized that John had managed to work himself between the wall and the troll. The next moment he found himself being pulled himself into the lap of the human, "Do you mind?"  
The soft breath and chuckle in his ear was the only answer he got, making him let his head fall back against the other's shoulder, maybe a little harder than necessary. Still there was a need for punishment, red eyes flickering to the tanned expanse of skin and getting a harsh nip in before looking away with a hum. Innocent, oh yes he could appear to be that as long as he didn't meet those blue orbs.

"Your matesprit seems to be a ball of Alternian sunshine," Rose said softly into the phone as she gently pulled it from the pale fingers of the rainbow drinker and heard John's voice back on the line. She had a feeling that something like this was going to happen, but it was still a bit shocking to see, or rather hear, the proof.

"Yeah, he's a regular joy-bringer," John grumbled, rubbing at his neck. He couldn't help but smile, though. "What was that for?" he murmured against Karkat, letting his breath gust over the other's ear. He felt the troll shift, and he smirked, wrapping one arm around his waist while he used the other to hold the communication device to his ear.   
Resting his chin upon Karkat's shoulder, he continued his conversation with Rose, turning his head occasionally to breathe cool air across the troll's neck or ear, feeling a funny sort of triumph at the way the grey skin would become tinged with red every time he did.   
"Hey, how did you and Kanaya meet, anyways?" he asked suddenly, realizing that he had never heard that particular story. He'd heard about the tactical side of their escape, but had never bothered asking about the romantic aspect. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he could have handled it before. Now, though, it seemed like it would be quite important to know. Waiting for an answer, he ran his fingertips over Karkat's belly and then to his thighs, then back again. He wanted to make the troll feel like things really would turn out alright in the end, but there was really only so much he could do while he was on the phone. 

A smooth, soft hum came from the other end of the line as Rose tangled her hand with one of the pale troll, smiling as she noticed the green tint that was starting to stain her cheeks, "Well, as you know I was part of the psychological department of the research team at the main base. I was in charge of figuring out the intelligence and the behavioral patterns of trolls." The image of walking into the stark white room again and again with so many trolls strapped to tables or locked into rooms with two-sided mirrors for observation and testing still stuck to her mind. It made her head ache and breath flutter to think of the creatures still stuck in that hellhole, under the scalpel of other researchers.  
"Kanaya was different, not only for the fact that she is the troll version of a vampire, but the fact that she seemed utterly collected and calm through the process. Against the advice of my co-workers I started to work with her on a more personal level. It seemed like we had known each other for years. Knew the right moves to make, the right expressions to tell each other what could lie in our hearts, as cliché as it sounds." She gave a small laugh as her partner tried to ask her the meaning of what she said.   
"In the end I decided that I couldn't stand the idea of her being sent off to a cage back on one of the space stations to wait for the end of the war and be auctioned off to the highest bidder. I was slapped by the manager when I voiced my protests and the idea that trolls could be the same as us on the emotional level. Let's just say Kanaya made him meet a very sticky end. After that we escaped. It's strange, we just seem to fit, and, well, one thing led to another."

A stuttering purr was starting to roll from the troll's throat and it made his face darken even more as he felt the human's finger trailing down then back up, how could the fucker be teasing him when he was talking to the other human?! Fingers tightened into the fabric of John's pants, he refused to make any sound other than that traitorous rumble.

John tried to stifle his laughter at Karkat's reaction. He was just way too cute for his own good! As Rose's words began to sink in, though, he felt his good mood slipping away. He'd heard about the research departments, but he hadn't been aware of the extent or brutality of said research before. The thought of Karkat strapped to some table while scientists prodded him with needles and blades made his stomach churn. He shifted, pulling the troll closer and buried his face into his shoulder, taking in the smell and feel of him.   
"That was...really brave of you." he said, voice muffled. Rose's hum of acknowledgment from the other end sounded vaguely distracted, and he wondered what she was doing. "Wait, so your girlfriend is a vampire troll?" He was smiling again, although it wasn't as bright as usual. "That's ridiculous. It's like every one of your shitty romance novels just became self-fulfilled prophesies or something." he chuckled and squeezed Karkat, cuddling closer to him like he was an oversized, wriggly, and not-very-lovable teddy bear. He considered, briefly, asking her for more details about the site or the path there, but he decided against it. John knew the basic route, and if they could just set up an emergency rendezvous and a date when they could start worrying when the duo didn't turn up, everything would hopefully turn out alright. Besides, she sounded a little preoccupied. 

At the feeling of fangs tickling along the expanse of her throat, Rose decided that this conversation was at a safe end for the moment. Wishing her friend well in his endeavors with the apparently moody and loud mouthed troll, she would expect them in two weeks and a small meeting point a good thirty miles away from their little hide away. Still, something unsettled her about the future. The thoughts were pushed away for the moment as green lipstick smeared across her pale skin.

And John was back to being a not-so-little clingy shit, but it was alright as he could feel and hear the flips of emotion that the other male was being thrown into as he said his goodbyes. Lifting his head slightly to headbutt the human's, he felt the familiar heat buildup in his lower body, but he could still push it off for a while longer as he turned to face John, "I discussed this with Kanaya already, but the fact is that the supplies we have won't be near enough for this journey. Each of us needs to go back to our own camps and gather what we need. Mine is nearby so we should be able to go there first."  
At least this way, the departure would not be as empty as it was with Kanaya's. Hopefully it would be the same in John's eyes as he thought about where he could hide the human while he was inside the camp. The last thing he needed was for both of them to be strung up like a length of lights on the mound for Gristmas. He always hated that holiday.

John licked his lips, nodding thoughtfully. "Yeah, the journey itself is long, and the lack of supplies is going to be an issue. How do you propose we find our way around, though? I mean, our people are going to be looking for us. We can't just go out without any sort of plan..." He trailed off, eyes not quite focused as he chased ideas within his own head. He squeezed the troll closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead.   
"It might be for the best if we separate. Go back to our bases and gather the supplies and then meet up again." Suddenly, he froze, looking panicked. "Shit, Karkat. I don't want to do that. I know it's the most logical plan, but there are too many risks, and I don't want to let you out of my sight even for a moment."   
The human sighed heavily, blue eyes closing. "This seriously sucks, man," he couldn't help thinking about Dave and Jade, who would be left behind, wondering what had happened to him. Well, he had managed to keep in contact with Rose. Maybe he could do the same thing, and keep his two friends in the loop without endangering himself, Karkat, Rose, and her matesprit. It would be hard, but it was totally do-able! They really just had to figure out the finer details at this point.   
"We can do this, Karkat."

"Your as optimistic as Tavros when he first meets someone or gets a new shipment of eggs and cards to play that stupid game." There was no way that the other would think that what he said had any meaning, instead Karkat flicked his head back slightly. He chuckled as he heard the small “ow” sound come from the idiot that hadn't closed his mouth. Red eyes looked towards the skeleton that remained their silent spectator and guard as he muttered, "Splitting up is a terrible idea. While your kind might have more technology, they don't know the land like we do. It will take them a few days to find you on your own even if you did tell them the location. You can just say you got lost in some tunnels, keep them moving while I go to my camp."  
It was a realistic plan, he could already think of plenty of places to hide the human nearby, but also give John the chance to look into the camp if he really wanted to keep an eye on him. All he could hope was that none of the trolls tried to question his whereabouts too much, though a quick snap and threat of disemboweling was usually enough to get them off his back. Also, he was the highest officer, he didn't need to worry about justifying shit.  
Okay, maybe he too was just a little bit nervous about trying to part ways, afraid that he might actually manage to talk himself out of trying to pursue this relationship, high tailing it back to the sea, and hoping to never see John on the battle field again. No, he had to believe John's words, they could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look a new chapter and two weeks until I leave for Japan. I'm not sure when my friend and I will get back to writing with me studying from the moment I wake up to when I go to bed.  
> Anyway, a good motivation as always is comments, please tell us what you think and offer me a break from re-memorizing all of these kanji!


End file.
